恋はスリル、ショック、サスペンス
by mistressinwaiting
Summary: Okay, so what happens when you put all the Naruto characters into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure…
1. Chapter 1: Beautiful World

--Okay, so what happens when you put all that Naruto characters plus five OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

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**Yay! A new fanfiction! I'm so sorry if it seems like I'm abandoning all of my other fanfictions, but I have so much stuff clogged up in my head that I just need to get it all _out_! I thought putting more ideas in my fanfictions would be a good idea, but then they'd all drag out too long! And so, we have this sixth fanfiction. I thank you all who have supported me up until now. So far, this is how it stands:**

**_Passion_: 25 chapters with 69,311 words and 80 reviews**

**_dragon lady_龍女ドラゴンレディー: 19 chapters (_including_ the mini-story) with 52,380 words and 27 reviews**

**_Regrets to Forget_: 8 chapters with 23,836 words and 4 reviews**

**死に時, 日向: 3 chapters (_not_ including the author's note) with 5,433 words and just _1_ review**

**_Narutard Theater Extras_: 4 chapters with 5,433 words and 4 reviews**

**Hooray! Look at how far I've come! Now, feel free to check any of these fanfictions out! And please review them _especially_ Regrets to Forget and 死に時, 日向. Please… I'm begging…**

**Oh, and please enjoy this fanfiction! This is, like, the only one I've done where it does _NOT_ follow the _Naruto_ plot line or family lines. And to find out what I mean, go and check it out! Oh and, when I said there were only about five OCs in this fanfiction, I meant it. There are _only_ five. The rest of the characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Please enjoy!**

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Chapter One

Beautiful World

It was a clear, blue day. It was mildly warm, only slightly reaching above twenty degrees Celsius. If you had the luck of going on vacation, that day would've been _the_ most perfect day to go. In fact, tons of people had the pleasure of going through the bustling streets of Japan's nation capital. The street vendors of Tokyo were definitely making bigger bucks than they usually did—_why_?—because most of Tokyo's students were on break, their spring vacation. And if Tokyo's "off-students" weren't busy crowding the main streets then they were probably at Narita International Airport, waiting for or getting on a plane to who knows where—probably somewhere tropical like Hawaii or the Bahamas. Well, wherever they were heading to, the students were sure happy. And the people who came off of those soon-leaving flights couldn't help but walk down memory lane as they watched the students fill up with excited glee, getting ready for their new "_adventure_," as some might call it. Even the ice-cube of a college-graduate had on a smile—well, a _smirk_—on his face as he recalled those distant memories. After all, it _had_ been four years since he had last stepped foot onto Japanese soil…. And first things first. He had to make his presence known.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"The directors agree strongly with the Statistics Team that merging with or partnering up with Marionette® and Rouschen® will surely benefit Harlequin®. In fact, they want this project to begin fairly soon—perhaps by next month, if not the latest."

"Is that so?" Tsunade asked, going through the papers. She groaned a bit and closed the folder. "Very well, Nara. You are in charge of this whole operation. Once my granddaughter's stepmother remarries, you'll have your work cut out for you, but I trust that you will be able to get us out of any sticky situations along the way. You have done fairly well in the past, and I have faith in you, so make no mistakes and see to it that this operation goes smoothly. You will be working alongside Marionette's® Inuzuka Kiba and Rouschen's® Rock Lee, so don't fail me."

"Hai." Shikamaru bowed his head as Tsunade stamped the outline report. She handed the paper and folder to him, and he left her office. _Who the Hell has the name "_Rock Lee_"? It's so stupid…_

Once the doors shut, the elderly woman rubbed her temples. If one ran a company as big as Harlequin® then one would know the stress and weight of being CEO . . . especially if one was _way_ past her golden years.

The phone rang then. "Hai? What is it, Jiraiya?"

"Well," the old man chuckled on the other line, "I thought you would want to know…"

And after hearing the new—and did I mention _shocking_?—piece of information, she practically jumped from her seat. "_Mwo-rago_? He's _back_?"

"Yes, and he's staying. Should I get his brother up?"

"Yes, send him into my office when he comes, but you can send the _brat_ in now."

"Hai."

And within a few short minutes, the doors opened and in stepped the younger Uchiha brother.

"Uchiha Sasuke… Welcome back to Japan," Tsunade said, apathetically. "I hope your trip was peaceful. When did you get back?"

"Just a couple of hours ago actually," the Uchiha said, "But I needed to make myself presentable."

"I can see that," Tsunade said, eyeing the boy's clothing. "You're actually wearing a suit for _once_ . . . not _correctly_, though…"

The Uchiha smirked. "I see you haven't changed. How are you, Ganryuu?"

She shrugged. "I could be better… I'm heading home early today because many of Tokyo's school districts have decided to have their spring break a couple of weeks earlier this year. _You_?"

"Hn…"

Tsunade let out a chuckle. "Same old same old Uchiha… Still monosyllabic as always… So, is there a reason _why_ you're back? And why on _this_ day or week?"

"Well, after graduating from college last year, I got bored with Harlequin's® American branch." Sasuke said indifferently. "And so I decided to come home."

_Yeah, right…_ Tsunade thought, rolling her eyes. _I don't think that you coming back just two days before my granddaughter's twenty-second birthday is _that_ much of a coincidence. Just exactly what are you planning, Uchiha?_

The office doors opened again. "You wanted to see me, Tsunade-sama?"

"As a matter in fact, yes." Tsunade said to the man. "Look who's back."

Sasuke turned around on cue, surprising the young man.

"Sa-_Sasuke_?"

"Hn,"—the younger Uchiha smirked—"Yeah… I'm home, Niisan."

"I can see that," Itachi said, walking closer to his baby brother. He put his hand on his chin as he examined the boy standing in front of him. "Hm… Have you grown _taller_, Sasuke?"

"Have you become _blind_, Niisan?" Sasuke retorted. "And here I thought _you_ were the smart one."

Itachi _tsk_ed. "Still as rude as ever, I see."

"Only towards _you_."

"Okay, save the sappy Uchiha reunion for later." Tsunade said. "Right now, there are more pressing matters at hand."

"Like _what_?"

"Well, little brother, for one thing, Harlequin® is going to be merging with Marionette® and Rouschen®. And for another, Tsunade-sama will be retiring soon—at soonest, within this month."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the batty old lady. "You _are_?"

She sighed. "Yes… After all, I'm well past my prime years. The directors have made their decision, and they all agree with me. I'm too old to be dealing with any of this—the company, the projects, and the stress of being CEO… A new executive chief officer will take my position. However, the new CEO has not been chosen yet."

"_Why_?"

"There are just too many possible candidates. I've already narrowed it down to three, but the Board of Directors"—she shot a glare at the older Uchiha—"can't make up their minds and are making a big fuss about it."

Sasuke didn't say anything as he listened to Tsunade's _sad_ retirement story.

"The candidates are you, me, and Tsunade-sama's granddaughter." Itachi told him.

Sasuke's brow furrowed, and he grimaced. "_Why_?" he asked.

Tsunade sighed. "This company was built on the partnership between the Uchiha and the Kazahana, later Haruno, families. As such, I believe that you, your brother, and your uncle should be included as possible candidates for the position of CEO. However, Uchiha Obito is in the States with his wife, so he's out of the race. Same thing with my oldest granddaughter,"—Itachi winced a bit when he heard Tsunade mention _her_—"which leaves only you, your brother, and my youngest granddaughter. Sasuke, you and my granddaughter are of _legal_ age to run the company, but many of the directors believe both of you to be too young. Itachi, on the other hand"—her eyes narrowed at the older Uchiha—"is _refusing_ the position. And if a CEO is not chosen by the time I retire then a shareholders' meeting will be held, and it shall be decided that either the Board will run the company until my granddaughter and you reach a certain age or Marionette® and Rouschen® will co-run Harlequin®. None of us want that to happen, and--"

"Then why not let Sakura's stepmom run the company then?" Sasuke inquired. "You may dislike her, but I know the company is more important to you."

Tsunade's narrowed eyes tightened. "Uchiha Sasuke, I am a woman of nobility and honor. I know when to give up, and I know when I have lost. Yes, the company is important to me, and I'd do almost anything to save it. And I'd gladly give the position to Sakura's stepmother if she isn't already engaged to marry the CEO of Marionette®."

Sasuke's eyes widened (by just a _small_ bit). "She _is_?"

Itachi nudged him on the shoulder and gave him a look that said, "Not now, foolish little brother."

"Now, you tell me," Tsunade continued on, ignoring Sasuke's previous question. "How can I let Sakura's stepmom run this company if she'll have another one to worry about?"

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Well, that's still being decided upon. Right now, I have a job for you to do."

Sasuke scoffed. "It's only my first day back, and you already have a job for me?"

Tsunade shrugged. "It can't be helped. I'm short on people right now."—she threw him the keys to her car—"The girl's name is Han Saila."

"_Who_?"

"You'll recognize her when you see her." Tsunade told him. "Right now, she's at Ginza. She's going to start working for us today, but her position is higher than most of the employees, so I need to speak to her before she starts."

Sasuke didn't answer yes nor did he answer no. He just grunted and threw the keys back to the woman. "I have my own ride," he said as he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Anoo… Tsunade-sama, did you _purposely_ send my brother to your granddaughter?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay, but just so you know… Before he came back, Sasuke took out about twenty-thousand five-hundred dollars from his account."

"_Twenty-thousand_?" Tsunade asked. "But that's enough for a wedding rin--"—realization sank in then and she slammed her hands on her desk—"_THAT BRAT_!!!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

As Sasuke walked thought the crowd, he groaned. He was back in Japan for only _four_ hours now, and apparently . . . he had over ten-_thousand_ new fangirls. That was a _big_ no-no—a big _annoying_ no-no. He didn't think he'd be able to survive _another_ swarm of the deadly peoples known as demons--I mean, _fangirls_. But then again, if he had worn his suit _correctly_ then _maybe_, just _maybe_, he wouldn't have this problem.

Simple solution, right? _WRONG_!!

To the Uchiha, he really wouldn't care. If he wanted to spend his whole entire family fortune on something he wanted then he will! If he wanted to be a cold-hearted bastard then he will! And so, goddamn it! If he wanted to dress like a playboy/prostitute then he will!

But really, if he had been the good little boy his mother wanted him to be then he wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place!

_I hope this "_Han Saila_" doesn't turn out to be _another_ annoying fangirl. _Sasuke thought, ignoring the high-pitched screams coming from his new fan-club. _But her name sounds familiar… Where have I heard it before..?_

_"Stop crying, would you?" Sasuke asked, handing the pink-haired girl a tissue._

_Sakura smiled, wiping away her tears. "You know, my older sister _is_ right…" she said, laughing at herself. "I spent so much time trying to forget the pain, trying to be happy, that I've forgotten about my mom… And in doing so, I lost my Korean pride and honor… I even forgot the name my mother gave me, the name I was given at birth—Han Saila… Oneesama was right… I really _am_ pathetic…"_

"Why, that old sucker!" Sasuke cursed under his breath. "She planned this all along!"

* * *

**Ganryuu = boss**

**Hai = yes**

**Mwo-rago = what? (Korean)**

**Niisan = older brother**

**[1] = Ginza (銀座) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. It is recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. Many upscale fashion clothing flagship stores are located here. Prominent are _Chanel_, _Louis Vuitton_, and _Gucci_. A recent addition is the 12-story Abercrombie & Fitch flagship.**

**Yay! This chapter is finished! Oh, and I'm sorry if I made Sakura Korean again like I did in _Passion_, but this fanfic _is_ based on Korean dramas, so yeah . . . DEAL WITH IT!!**

**Oh, and by the way, most K-dramas have their plot focusing on about three different families with one or two outsiders. So, in this fanfiction, many of the _Naruto_ cast including the OCs shall be related in some way. Also, let me repeat this: there are only five OCs in this fanfic! I will tell you when they come in, so please remember that every character in this fanfic belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

**Oh, and just so you know: Tsunade's oldest granddaughter (who is also Sakura's older sister) is an OC! I won't tell you her name yet, so we're just going to call her OC3 (since she's the _third_ OC character I came up with). So yeah… Until next time! And please _REVIEW_!! DON'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! REVIEW _NOW_!!!!!!**

**(Oh, and this chapter is named after Utada Hikaru's _Beautiful World_.)**


	2. Chapter 2: Beautiful Memories

--Okay, so what happens when you put all that Naruto characters plus five OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

* * *

**Yay! A new chapter! Sorry it's a bit late, but I'm _trying_ to update my other fanfics. However, that's not going so well because I'm worrying about this one, and so . . . here's the chapter! Please enjoy! Oh, and the chapter's named after the background music from _Inuyasha_!**

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Chapter Two

Beautiful Memories

As Sasuke entered the Mitsukoshi[1] department store, he couldn't help but think and wonder about his childhood friend and current girlfriend. After all, the last time he had seen them was after said girlfriend's father's funeral.

_"Are you sure you'll be alright? I could always stay with you."_

_"Daijōbu… I'll be fine, but it's strange to see you worry so much, Sasuke-kun." she giggled._

_"Well, how could I _not_?" he asked her. "Your father's funeral was only yesterday, and the ANBU will surely go after you now that he's gone."_

_Sakura smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "You know, it's the thought that counts. Arigato, Sasu-chan."_

_The Uchiha grimaced. "I thought I told you _never_ to call me that."_

_"It's cute to see you all riled up."_

_"Hn…"_

_"Now there's the guy I know and love."—she hugged him—"Daijōbu… I'll be fine, and I'll still be here when you come back, so go back to America and finish your studies. I promise I'll be fine."_

_"I'll come back as soon as possible."_

_"That's all I'm asking for. Make me and your family proud."_

The Uchiha sighed. _She may have been smiling then, but she must have been in pain… _he thought, slanting forward the hat he had just bought a few minutes ago to ward away any potential fangirl. _I definitely need to make it up to her…_

"_Hora_, Naruto! If you're going to treat me to lunch, at least choose a place that _doesn't_ serve ramen!"

"But, _Sakura-chan_! Ramen's my _favorite_!"

"_So_? It doesn't matter! If you're going to take a girl out, you should at least choose a fancier place!"

"But, _Sakura_! You know I can't afford it! You're the one who's rich, not me!"

"Ugh, Naruto, that's still no excuse!"

"_Itai_! Dear pink fairy, why do you hurt me so?"

Sasuke smirked at the familiar sound of that conversation. He had been gone for too long.

_"Here you go, you guys!"_

_"Yay! Arigato, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear as he accepted the bento[2]. "It _is_ Teuchi's homemade ramen, right?"_

_"It sure is! Well . . . for _you_, it is."_

_"Yippee! Arigato, Sakura-chan!"_

_"You said that already, dobe…"_

_"WHAT'D YA SAY, _TEME_!?!"_

_"Hn…"_

_"Oh, and here's yours, Sasuke-kun."_

_"You know you didn't have to come here. It's late, and it must trouble Teuchi."_

_"Well, it doesn't bother me nor does it bother Teuchi-sama. He likes to cook for the both of you, and . . . I don't really like it when you study so late all the time. You two barely eat—well, I know Naruto does, but you _don't_, Sasuke."_

_"_Aw_…"—the hyper-active boy hugged his female friend—"Thanks for caring about us, Sakura-chan."_

_"Dobe…" Sasuke seethed through clenched teeth, "Let her go. You'll choke her to death."_

_"Oh…" Naruto let go of the pink-haired girl, slightly embarrassed about it and much more worried that he'd get his ass kicked by the angry (actually, _jealous_ but he'd never admit it) Uchiha. "Gomen, gomen…" He laughed awkwardly, scratching his head._

_"Aw, don't worry about it, Naruto." Sakura giggled. "Sasu-chan's just being _jealous_… That's all…"_

_"I am _not_!" Sasuke protested. "And don't call me that _ever_ again."_

_"Aw, what's the matter,_ Sasu-chan_?" Naruto teased. "Too _girly_ for ya?"_

_The couple didn't answer. There was only awkward silence._

_"_WHAT_!?"_

_No answer._

_"What's wrong, Sakura chan? Sasu-chan?"_

_"_Ew_," was all Sakura could say._

_"I'm not even going there…" Sasuke said before going back to his studies._

_"When _you_ say it, Naruto, it sounds _gay_…"_

_"What!? Do I really!?"_

_"Yes, you do," Sasuke bluntly stated._

_"But it's not my fault!" Naruto whined. "You _know_ I'm oblivious to obvious things!"_

_"Dobe, you just called yourself stupid."_

_It was awkward silence then._

_"Aw, _man_!"_

Sasuke smirked. _Hn… I wonder if the dobe's changed…_ he thought but, as he listened into the on-going conversation, he had a change in mind.

"NARUTO! YOU _IDIOT_!"

"_Sakura_! _Itai desu_!"

"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."

"But it's not my fault!" Naruto whined. "You _know_ I'm oblivious to obvious things!"

"Dude, you just called yourself stupid."

It was awkward silence then.

"Aw, _man_!"

The Uchiha sighed. _But judging from what I'm hearing, I highly doubt it…_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah, Sakura?"

"You know . . . that guy over there has been standing there for a really long time already. I think he's watching us…"

"Really? _Who_?"

"The guy leaning on the wall across the room who's showing off his chest (guess who)…"

"Oh… You mean the guy who's dressed like a prostitute!" Naruto said, glancing at the guy but then shrugging. "Daijōbu, Sakura-chan. He's just a prostitute or he could just be a playboy—heck, he could even be both—but I don't think he means you any harm. If he did then those bodyguards Old Lady Tsunade assigned you wouldn't pounced him already."

The rosette-haired girl thought about it for a moment and decided, "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

Naruto grinned his Cheshire Cat grin. "Hee-hee, aren't I _always_?"

"Nope! Never…"

"Aw, come on, Sakura! It's not my fault! You _know_ I'm oblivious to--" Suddenly, Naruto's stomach grumbled and he fell to his knees. "_Eiya_! I don't feel so good!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I _told_ you not to eat dirt."

"But Sakura! I couldn't back down! Sai dared me too!"

"Fine, fine! Just . . . go…"

But before Sakura had even finished, Naruto was already on his way to the bathroom; a trail of dust behind him.

The cherry blossom shook her head and laughed, returning to her meal. "The idiot…" But even in the midst of that happy moment, she couldn't help but wonder, _Is he _ever_ coming back? It's been so long… I miss him so much… When will you come back, Sasuke-kun? _She sighed, thinking of her one love.

But then suddenly, Sakura felt something against her head, and she heard the gun cock, followed by a deep voice. "Come quietly or else…" the menacing voice said.

When Sakura turned her frightened self around, she saw the distinct clothing and tattoo of one of the most feared Yakuza gangs in all of Japan. "The ANBU Black Ops…"

* * *

**Arigato = thank you; thanks**

**Daijōbu = don't worry; it's fine**

**Eiya = ugh; ack**

**Gomen, gomen = sorry, sorry [informal]**

**Hora = hey!**

**Itai = ow; ouch**

**Itai desu = it hurts!**

**[1] = Mitsukoshi, Ltd. is an international department store chain with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1673 with the shop name "_Echigoya_." Ten years later in 1683, Echigoya took a new approach to marketing. Instead of selling by going door-to-door, they set up a store where buyers could purchase goods on the spot with cash. Mitsukoshimae Station on the Tokyo Metro is named after the adjacent Mitsukoshi department store. Mitsukoshi is the root of Mitsui group. In August 2007, it was announced that Mitsukoshi would merge into Isetan, a major department store in Japan. On April 1, 2008, Mitsukoshi and Isetan were merged under a joint holding company called Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd.**

**[2] = Bento is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquer ware. Although bento are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops, train stations, and department stores, it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend time and energy for their spouse, child, or themselves producing a carefully prepared lunch box.**

**So yeah… I hope you enjoyed my chapter and this fanfiction so far! And I've told you before that there are only five OCs in this story, right? Well, lot of the characters from Naruto that you know are pretty much the ones from Konoha 11 and their sensei, right? So, here's a small list of the characters so far:**

**ANBU = yeah, you know who they are, but_ in this fanfiction, they're a Yakuza gang, meaning that they're bad guys… they probably won't have that big of a role in this story anyway…_**

**Teuchi = the owner of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. He and his daughter, Ayame, consider Naruto their best customer and always treat him well. _In my fanfiction, he is Sakura's chef, but his ramen is still the best there is!_**

**So,yeah! Hopefully, you enjoyed this! Please Review! Tell me what you think of this so far!**


	3. Chapter 3: Let me be your Wings

--Okay, so what happens when you put all the _Naruto_ characters plus 5 OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

* * *

**Yay! A new chapter! Thank you for the reviews! I hope you like this chapter. Also, read my bottom author's note. You can skip the definitions and references, just read the thing about the next two years of _Naruto_. Thank you! Oh, and this chapter is named after the song from _Thumbelina_. Please enjoy!**

* * *

_But then suddenly, Sakura felt something against her head, and she heard the gun cock, followed by a deep voice. "Come quietly or else…" the menacing voice said._

_When Sakura turned her frightened self around, she saw the distinct clothing and tattoo of one of the most feared Yakuza gangs in all of Japan. "The ANBU Black Ops…"_

Chapter Three

Let me be your Wings…

"So . . . what will it be?" the ANBU asked, his fellow conspirators behind him with guns and other dangerous weapons in their hands. "Come quietly or die here."

Sakura stayed frozen with fear. What was she to do? If she were to die or be kidnapped, Tsunade would've been heartbroken and unable to run the company—the company of which her late husband and daughter had loved with all their hearts. Sakura couldn't do that to her grandmother, and her death would've caused a much worse outcome than her kidnapping would have. And so, she obeyed the ANBU and promptly stood from her seat. But as she did so…

"HI-_YAAAA_!!!!!!" A brazen, orange-haired man tackled the ANBU member to the ground.

"Jirobo, you _idiot_!" a rosette-haired girl screamed as she and the rest of Sakura's bodyguard-squad came; Hotaru checking to make sure the Haruno was alright. "There are _civilians_ here!" Tayuya continued yelling at her partner. "You've just included _innocent lives_ into this!"

"Oh, I _did_?" Jirobo asked.

Tayuya groaned. "Oh, I _give up_!"

"Tayuya, you should know by now that my cousin can't help himself when it comes to his job and protecting the little cherry blossom."

"Oh, shut it, Utakata!" Jirobo yelled.

"Stop fighting, Jirobo-sensei! Utakata-sensei!" Hotaru pleaded with the two.

_BANG!!_

That one gunshot was followed by screams and cries.

"Get ready!" Utakata said, taking out a gun. "The ANBU aren't going to give up that easily!"—he threw Hotaru the gun and, as the rest of the ANBU appeared, he took out these round marble-like spheres—"Protect the princess!" And he threw the spheres at the coming ANBU, and the explosives went off. Smoke covered the area.

"Yo! Stop calling me _'princess'_! It's so _degrading_!" Sakura yelled. "And what do you think you're doing!? Throwing bombs in a crowded place!? You could've hit an _innocent civilian_!"

Utakata sighed. God_! You say that, and yet you don't want me to call you a princess!? It's a bit too much, you know…_ "Hotaru! We'll take care of the ANBU! You just go and bring Sakura to safety!"

"Hai!"—she grabbed Sakura's arm—"This way, Sakura-san."

"But…" Sakura looked back to her other three bodyguards. Sure, it was their job to protect her, but she had known them for so long already. How could she cope with herself if one of them was injured for her sake?

"Come now, Ms. Sakura. This way…" Hotaru said as she led her client away from the fight and through the frantic crowd. And once they were far enough, Hotaru turned back to look at Sakura, and she was met with a worried face.

"Hotaru…" the cherry blossom said, "What will I do if any of them are hurt for my sake? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that ever happens. Oh, Hotaru, I--"

"Sakura-san, don't worry about us. It's our job to protect you… Why, we'd even jump in front of a bullet for you."

"Hotaru-chan…"

"You're the princess we want to protect and--"—her eyes widened, and she gasped—"Get down!"

_BANG!!_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Well, that was easy…" Jirobo said, dusting off his hands.

"_Too_ easy…" Tayuya added, looking around the area for anything they missed. "Usually, there are more than this…"

"I don't like this…" Utakata said. "If this was an attempt at Sakura's kidnapping then the ANBU would've tried harder…"

As Utakata spoke, Tayuya's search had turned frenetic. "Where's Hotaru and--"

_BANG!! "AHH! Hotaru!!" BANG! BANG!_

Utakata's eyes widened. He had just sent both Sakura and Hotaru into a death trap. "The ANBU went after them!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Hotaru clutched her bleeding arm, her gun in hand and Sakura behind her.

"Hotaru-chan, daijōbu desu ka!?"

"Don't worry about me, Sakura-san. Just"—another bullet was fired—"Stay here!" And Hotaru jumped out of their hiding spot, her gun aimed at the ANBU.

Sakura heard the bullets as they zoomed past each other during the shooting—the loud, thunderous sounds as the guns went off… Finally, there came two shots, and the noise just stopped.

Sakura opened her shut eyes then, and she poked her head out of her hiding spot to check on her friend. Hotaru's wide dark-green eyes were fixed on her and, before she knew, Sakura felt something tight against her throat.

"Sakura!" Hotaru knew she had to do something, but…

"Na-uh, little girl," the ANBU said to her. "Unless you want Pinkie to die on the spot, you'll listen to me and do as I say."

". . . _Fine_…" There was nothing else Hotaru could say. She couldn't risk Sakura's life especially not when her life was in the hands of a ruthless killer.

"That's a good little girl… Now empty out your gun--"

"I don't know how to do that!"

"Tough luck, kid! Now close your eyes and keep them shut!"

Hotaru did as she was told, and suddenly her world turned to darkness.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Let me go! Let me go!" Sakura yelled, kicking and struggling to the best she could. Even when captured, she wasn't going down without a fight.

The ANBU threw her to the ground and pointed his gun at her. "You annoying girl! You think I won't kill you because your step-mom's going to marry one of the richest men in Japan!? I'll kill you!! I'll kill you right now!! You annoying bitch, I--"

There was another loud booming sound, and Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come, but the pain didn't come. She slowly opened her eyes and found the ANBU dead on the floor. There was _another_ person, Sakura realized. Fear seized her, and every inch of her body told her to run but, when she stood, her legs gave in. She fell forward, but the dark figure caught her.

"Same old Sakura, huh?" the voice said, a voice that the cherry blossom immediately recognized. "Still as annoying and as clumsy as ever. And here I was worried that I'd get a new addition to my fan-club…"

Sakura looked up at her savior, and happiness replaced her fear. "Sasuke-kun!" She hugged her boyfriend whom she had not seen in so long. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Saving your sorry ass," he answered. But after seeing Sakura's scowl, he added, "As an early birthday present."—he kissed her—"Surprised?"

The pink-haired girl giggled. "_Very_ surprised. I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"When did you get back?"

"Just four hours ago… How is the dobe?"

"As dopey as ever… Still loves ramen, though…"

"I figured as much… So, where is he?"

"Well…"

"HEY!! YOU STUPID PLAYBOY PROSTITUTE!! GET AWAY FROM SAKURA-CHAN!!" And suddenly, Sasuke was tackled into the ground by the hyperactive brat.

"Naruto, no! It's not what you think! It's--"

"Dobe, it's _me_!"

"Huh?" Naruto asked. "Me _who_?"

"I see you're still an idiot, dobe."

It hit Naruto then. "Teme! It's _you_!"

"_Yes_, dobe, it's me! Now get _off_!"

"Oh, right… Sorry, Teme." But as soon as Naruto got off of his friend, the ambush of questions came. "So . . . when did you get back? How was the States? How was the weather there? Did you get any new friends? Did you miss me? Did you have fun? Did they kick you out of college? Did you get any more fangirls? Why are you back? Did you buy me any presents? Are you the same cold-hearted bastard you were four years ago? How many fingers am I holding behind my back?"

Sasuke sighed and mentally hit himself. It was going to be a _long_ day… In fact, he was starting to wish that the ANBU he had killed _was_ Naruto.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Wow! So, you're getting engaged to marry _Hinata_?" Shikamaru asked his cousin. "My, it's a small world, after all!"

"It's nothing big, Shikamaru. Just a little stone in the path of life." Kiba said. "Just like the fact that you and I will be working together on this project."

Shikamaru smiled but, inside, he was worried about something. "I thought Hinata still had that crush on Naruto."

"Yeah, but she got over it."

The genius's eyes widened. "_Really_? Wow! Never thought that would happened… Not even in a million years!"

"Yeah… Oh, and, speaking of Hinata, can you help her out?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, her father's the CEO of Marionette®. You know that, right? Well, because of that, she's one of the possible candidates for her father's position once he retires."

"Yes . . . but I still don't see where you're going with this, Kiba."

"Yeah, well, Hinata will also be working with one of Harlequin's® and Rouschen's® possible future CEOs. And they'll have a division of their own, probably composing of a few more workers, but that division is going to be headquartered here in Harlequin®."

"_Oh_?" Shikamaru asked. "I didn't hear about that."

"Well, I just found out about it." Kiba explained. "Apparently, they're all meeting today, so . . . yeah, will you help her out?"

"It'll be troublesome, but . . . sure, why not?"

"Great!"—Inuzuka glanced down at his watch—"Jeez, when is this _'Rock Lee'_ going to show up? He's an hour _late_!"

"Actually, Rouschen® called. There was some kind of misunderstanding, and they had to call up an emergency meeting of some sort."

"Oh, okay. Guess I can wait then…"

"Wanna go grab some coffee?"

"Sure."

But as the two went their way, Shikamaru suddenly realized something. _Oh, wait! If Hinata's going to be working at Harlequin®, doesn't that mean she'll--_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Well, I'll be! The tinier Uchiha's back! Hm… Did you get taller by any chance?"

"Utakata, since when did you become _Itachi_?"

Utakata laughed. "Still as rude as ever, I see."

"Only towards _you_."

Now, that broke a nerve. "Now, look here, kid! I'm older than you, so you'd better respect me! Or, so help me, I'll--"

"Utakata, stop joking around!" Tayuya yelled.

"Yeah, don't forget. He _saved_ Sakura-san's life, just now." Jirobo added. "If he hadn't, Tsunade-sama would have had our heads! Be grateful!"

"Ha! I'll be grateful when the brat's _nice_ to me!" Utakata said. "And that probably won't happen until all of _Hell_ freezes over!"

"Utakata-sensei…" Hotaru said, handing him his gun. "Here's your gun back."

"Nah, you keep it, Hotaru." the pale man said. "You've proven yourself today, and I've realized that you'll probably need it in the future anyways." _Plus, without it today, I could've lost you…_

"Now, _who's_ going soft?" Sasuke asked.

"Shut up, Teme!" Utakata yelled.

"Oh, that reminds me."—he turned to his girlfriend—"_Han Saila_"—he emphasized every syllable of her Korean name—"Your grandmother requests your audience in her office in about"—he looked at his watch—"twenty minutes."

"_WHAT_!?" Sakura shrieked, causing everyone to cover their ears. "Why didn't you say so _earlier_!? She'll kill me if I'm even a _minute_ late!"

"Then you better get the car, Jirobo." Utakata said to his cousin.

"It's no use." Tayuya said. "All the streets are all backed up, thanks to the ANBU incident. And even without the traffic, it's still a thirty-minute ride from here to Harlequin®."

"Screwed up big time, didn't you, Teme?" Naruto grinned.

"No problem," the Uchiha said, "If we take my ride, we'll be there in less than _ten_."

A wave of fear consumed Sakura. "And your ride would _be_..?"

Sasuke smirked. "I'm guessing you haven't gotten over your fear of motorcycles yet, have you, Sakura?"

Sakura felt as though she shrank in size. Why did it have to be a damn _motorcycle_?

Naruto and her group of bodyguards all snickered, fully aware of Sakura's dislike of motorcycles.

"Good luck, Princess…" Utakata wished.

"Stow it, Pretty Boy!"

* * *

**Daijōbu desu ka = are you alright?**

**Yay! Chapter's done! I hope you guys likes it! And, wow, there's a whole group of new characters in this chapter. But I'll tell you this much: none of them are OCs. So, here's a small list of the characters so far:**

**Hotaru = the granddaughter of the former leader of the Tsuchigumo clan, En no Gyōja. She appears only in the anime and becomes Utakata's student shortly before his death. In my fanfic, she is one of Sakura's bodyguards who replaces her parents whenever they're absent from their job.**

**Jirobo = the physically strongest member of the Sound Four and the weakest overall, according to the other members of the Sound Four. In my fanfic, he is also one of Sakura's bodyguards who she looks up to as a fatherly/brotherly-figure. Oh, and, by the way, he is married to Tayuya. He is also Utakata's cousin.**

**Tayuya = the kunoichi of Orochimaru's Sound Four. In my fanfic, she is married to Jirobo and is one of Sakura's bodyguards who she looks up to as a motherly/sisterly-figure.**

**Utakata = a shinobi from Kirigakure and the jinchūriki of the Six-Tailed Slug. The Six-Tails has been captured and sealed by Akatsuki, causing Utakata's death when the beast was extracted. Utakata was featured in an anime-only arc detailing his capture by Pain. In my fanfic, he is one of Sakura's bodyguards who annoy her. Oh, and he is also Jirobo's cousin.**

**Thank you for reading and please review! Oh, and I got this thing below from somewhere, and it said it is the plot for the next two years of Naruto manga. Choose to believe or not believe at own risk. Don't ask me where I got this! I did not write this or make this up, so don't give me any credit for it (except for my small comments. Those, I made). And technically, I think this is a bit outdated because it kind of sounds like it's supposed to be for after Sasuke and Itachi's fight (though I'm hoping that it will happen because Kabuto brought some of the Akatsuki members including Itachi back from the dead.)**

**- Okay, so . . . Sasuke loses one eye to Itachi. (_Ew_, gross!) As he goes for the second, Kabuto/Orochimaru interrupt the fight. Kabuto is now under the influence of Orochimaru; he has almost completely taken over. Itachi flees and, as Kabuto/Orochimaru descend on a prone Sasuke, Zetsu confronts him. Kabuto/Orochimaru leaves to avoid a confrontation with Akatsuki. Zetsu goes back to report to Madara.**

**- Madara easily handles Team Konoha. Hinata's Byakugan reveals Madara's trick. Yamato uses his _Mokuton_. Zetsu appears, reports to Madara on Itachi/Sasuke, and both flee the battle.**

**- Kakashi finds Sasuke, brings him back to Konoha.**

**- Kisame beats Hebi soundly, except for Suigetsu, who pushes him. Kisame wins. Itachi shows up and ditches Kisame as he now has one Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, the other his regular Mangekyou Sharingan. Kisame rides off into the distance never to be seen from again. (Makes you wonder, huh?)**

**- Tsunade and Naruto hear of Jiraiya's death. Naruto goes off to train using the key with the Toads like Jiraiya, to master the Kyuubi chakra.**

**- Pein does not know the location of the Toad's Mountain and so returns empty handed.**

**- Tsunade heads to Rain to confront Akatsuki. Tsunade is intercepted by Konan. She dies at the hands of Konan. (NO!!!!!!!! Tsunade, no! Don't die!!!! Who will teach Sakura!?! Certainly, not Kakashi who has neglected her for more than three years!)**

**- After her death, Kakashi is appointed as the Sixth Hokage. (That was predictable…)**

**- Sasuke recovers minus an eye and is convinced to stay. He makes out like he is only staying because his chance of facing Itachi and Madara will be increased this way.**

**- Madara confronts Itachi and kills him. Kakashi hears rumors of their fight and goes to confront Madara. He doesn't tell Sasuke because Sasuke has not yet reconciled with Team 7. Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi train with each other. Sasuke learns how to summon the Dogs and vows never to use the Snakes and Cursed Seal again. Sakura begins to master genjutsu. (_Finally_! Kakashi stops neglecting Sakura!! Yay!! Hopefully, there will be some SasuSaku moments here!)**

**- Madara and Kakashi fight. Kakashi eventually realizes he will lose, summons Pakkun and sends him to inform Sasuke of Madara's whereabouts. Madara wins and delivers a fatal blow to Kakashi. (NOO!!! Kakashi-sensei!!) Sasuke and Sakura arrive just as Madara leaves. Sasuke is torn between tending to Kakashi with Sakura and chasing Madara. Madara mocks him because a true Uchiha would follow their own goals, throwing aside comrades. This is how the Uchiha have always gained power. Sasuke doesn't want to follow in the old Uchiha ways, Madara escapes, telling him where to find him. Madara wants to wipe out all Uchihas and start the clan over fresh.**

**- Kakashi gives Sasuke his Mangekyou Sharingan. Sakura does the transfer. (Wow! Kinda like what happened with Kakashi's old genin team with Obito dying and Rin doing the transfer… _Cool_!) Kakashi also has a present for Sasuke, a Konoha headband. Sasuke takes the headband and puts it across his forehead. Kakashi dies. Sasuke pulls one side of the headband down and wears it like Kakashi did, bringing the story full-circle of Sasuke being a carbon copy of Kakashi, as stated by Gai. (Wow… Ironic.)**

**- Both return to Konoha with Kakashi's dead body. Naruto has returned from the Toad training, having perfected the use of Kyuubi and his _Fuuton: RasenShuriken_. He sees Kakashi dead and freaks out. (Typical Naruto… Hopefully, we'll see more funny scenes here.) Sasuke appears, and Naruto sees the headband. Finally Team 7 is [_FINALLY_] reunited.**

**- Team 7 makes the decision to go after the remaining Akatsuki. They go to where Madara told them to meet for the final battle. Zetsu is told to keep watch and stop anyone looking to interfere. Team 7 wants it that way too.**

**- Pein, Madara and Konan line up against Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. As they fight, Kabuto/Orochimaru heads to the location. He is now completely controlled by Orochimaru. Zetsu confronts him.**

**- Both fight, Zetsu is eventually defeated. (Now, _that_ is sad…)**

**- Sasuke uses the Mangekyou Sharingan which Kakashi gave him, which is now an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. He is able to defeat Madara after a very long struggle. (Eh… Not too much detail there…)**

**- Naruto has learned how to throw his Fuuton: _RasenShuriken _just like a Shuriken. He is able to defeat all 6 of Pein's bodies using this and Gamabunta. After believing he has won, Jiraiya shows up. Naruto is shocked and goes to embrace him, only to see Pein's piercings. (Ew… super _gross_!) Jiraiya is stronger and faster than ever. Naruto summons Gamakichi and using a joint jutsu, Naruto is able to go KN9 while remaining completely in control. Naruto eventually overcomes Jiraiya, killing him with a RasenShuriken. (Now, _that_ is even _sadder_ than anything so far!)**

**- Sakura battles hard against Konan. She is unable to beat her with sheer strength and so uses genjutsu in her first real battle. She kills Konan using genjutsu. (Yes, _BIG time_ Sakura win there!)**

**- Just as they all think it is over, they are confronted by Kabuto/Orochimaru. (Hell no! Why is it that when there's something good, something bad happens!?) He mocks them, and they fight. Reference is made to the Sannin vs. Salamander Hanzou. Orochimaru is stronger than ever and now possesses Kabuto's skills. They are able to, together, repel his attacks. He labels them the new Sannin. Slowly, Orochimaru gains the upper hand. As he goes to deal a lethal blow to Naruto, Sasuke takes the shot. (NO!! Poor Sasuke . . . _NOT_!!) Cue flashback to Zabuza arc. (Okay, yeah, from here on, there are many references to past battles. Too many memories… Too many sad memories…)**

**- Naruto is able to kill Orochimaru with a _RasenShuriken_. (Yay! Creepy snake-dude is _dead_! Yay!)**

**- Sakura tends to Sasuke. He stands up, but something is not right. When he killed Orochimaru near the start of Part 2, he absorbed not only Orochimaru's abilities, but Orochimaru's soul too. Orochimaru finally has what he always wanted, the Sharingan! (_NO_!!!!!!!!!!!)**

**- The final fight is between Sasuke controlled by Orochimaru and Naruto. (What happened to Sakura?) Both fight hard, and there is a clash between the _Chidori_ and _Fuuton: Rasengan_. Cue hospital roof flashback. (Yay . . . _another_ flashback. Oh, the _joy_… Note the sarcasm.) Naruto is able to defeat Orochimaru, and Sasuke is near death. He is returned to Konoha and is treated at the hospital. When he is revived, Naruto embraces him. (Anoo . . . _that's_ kinda _gay_…)**

**- Naruto is named the Seventh Hokage. (Of course! And hopefully, there will be _some_ romance in the manga during all of this!)**

**This actually is what is going on frequently, and we all have to remember that this blog was worth two years of Naruto Shippuden! That's a long way to go, so you really think Sasuke can't change in another 17 months or so? Right now on _mangafox_ I saw the next chapter called, "_Kakashi next Hokage_?!" And who wouldn't believe that Orochimaru is still slithering alive somewhere right now? We know it couldn't have been that easy for Sasuke to kill him, even if he was sick...it was a trick...that's what I believe. Orochimaru is _not_ stupid—he is the Voldemort of this series! (Sorry for the _Harry Potter_ reference…)**

**Ha-ha! But, I _do_ believe that he will and, of course, for the reasons of killing his brother. Yet this time, the effects will be different. His feelings perhaps will change. So my answer...Perhaps, this whole show is surrounded by Sasuke and Naruto's determination to bring him back. Right now in the manga we see Sasuke on the "bad guy" team, but I think he is just playing everyone—he _is_ the Snape of this series! (Yikes, _another_ _Harry Potter_ reference…)**

**And so, yeah, all of that above is not mine! So don't flame me for that! But, yeah, I'm hoping for some of that to _actually_ happen. However . . . _Naruto_ is, like, taking a turn for the worst. And technically, I don't like the fact that Kabuto has brought the Akatsuki back from the dead like zombies! That's just not _right_!**

**But anyway, enough of this blog thingamajig! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And please REVIEW!! See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Powder Snow

--Okay, so what happens when you put all the _Naruto_ characters plus 5 OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

* * *

**Yay! Finally! A new chapter! I'm sorry it took so long, but I was trying to update my other fanfic, so yeah… Oh, since it's been a long while since I've updated, you need a list of the minor Naruto characters I'm using! Here you go!**

**ANBU = yeah, you know who they are, but _in this fanfiction, they're a Yakuza gang, meaning that they're bad guys… they probably won't have that big of a role in this story anyway…_**

**Hotaru = the granddaughter of the former leader of the Tsuchigumo clan, En no Gyōja. She appears only in the anime and becomes Utakata's student shortly before his death. _In my fanfic, she is one of Sakura's bodyguards who replaces her parents whenever they're absent from their job._**

**Jirobo = the physically strongest member of the Sound Four and the weakest overall, according to the other members of the Sound Four. _In my fanfic, he is also one of Sakura's bodyguards who she looks up to as a fatherly/brotherly-figure. Oh, and, by the way, he is married to Tayuya. He is also Utakata's cousin._**

**Tayuya = the kunoichi of Orochimaru's Sound Four. _In my fanfic, she is married to Jirobo and is one of Sakura's bodyguards who she looks up to as a motherly/sisterly-figure._**

**Teuchi = the owner of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. He and his daughter, Ayame, consider Naruto their best customer and always treat him well._ In my fanfiction, he is Sakura's chef, but his ramen is still the best there is!_**

**Utakata = a shinobi from Kirigakure and the jinchūriki of the Six-Tailed Slug. The Six-Tails has been captured and sealed by Akatsuki, causing Utakata's death when the beast was extracted. Utakata was featured in an anime-only arc detailing his capture by Pain._ In my fanfic, he is one of Sakura's bodyguards who annoy her. Oh, and he is also Jirobo's cousin._**

**Well, that's it, and the five OCs are still to come, so please enjoy this chapter! This chapter is named after Ayumi Hamsaki's song because the beginning half of it matches this chapter, okay? Thanks and please review after you're done reading!**

* * *

Chapter Four

Powder Snow

When Sakura felt the solid ground underneath her feet, she halfway got on her knees and thanked the gods. She thought she'd _never_ live another day ever again. In fact, being kidnapped by the ANBU seemed all too wonderful on that ride over.

"Oy, Princess! You alright?"

"Yes… Per-perfectly . . . f-f-fine…" the heiress said, a bit wobbly.

"Oh, _really_?" Utakata asked, his smirk never leaving his face. "Then why are you still trembling?"

"Go . . . go to Hell, Utakata…" Sakura snapped. "I don't understand . . . h-how you all can take it… It feels like a damn roller coaster…" And she began to walk _away_ from Harlequin's® entrance.

Sasuke grabbed her arm and turned her around. "The entrance is _this_ way," he said. "_That_ way's the road."

"Oh . . . right…" Sakura could feel her cheeks turning red as her three bodyguards (Jirobo's still in the car stuck in traffic, and the rest of these guys rode their own motorcycles) and Naruto let out a few chuckles.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Sakura watched as the numbers in the elevator shaft went higher and higher. The top floor—the fortieth floor—was where her grandmother's office was situated, if she remembered correctly. Everything else about the company was a bit foggy to her. After all, the last time she had ever been in the building was sixteen years ago . . . when her mother was still with her…

She sighed. Tsunade knew why her granddaughter avoided coming to the company, and she always understood it. In fact, up until now, Tsunade had never called Sakura to the company. _So why now?_

"Dou shita no, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, seeing Sakura's blue face. "You've been quieter than the Teme ever since you came into the building. Is something bothering you?"

Sasuke, too, glanced over to the quiet girl. It wasn't like her to be so quiet or so down in the dumps.

"It's . . . it's nothing, Naruto." the girl said; her eyes looked so distant, reminiscing on something.

"Hey, it's your first time in this place, isn't it?" Naruto asked. "The place's real pretty, right?"

"Yeah . . . it's _always_ been pretty…"

"The people here are all so nice," Naruto continued on, oblivious to Sakura's misery. "If you're going to start working here, it'll be a good experience for you."

"Yeah… I'll . . . I'll keep that in mind…" Sakura sighed. To her, working at Harlequin® would have been the _worst_ possible thing in the world! The company her parents had loved so much . . . she didn't know what she'd do if she were to disappoint them.

Meanwhile, Sasuke glared at the dobe. Sure, Naruto knew nothing about Sakura's family or what had happened, but really! _Must he choose _now_ of all times to blab about the company?_

Suddenly, the elevator doors opened. Sakura felt all too grateful as she stepped out of the shaft.

"Oh? Who's _this_? Why, it's little Saila! But you're not so _little_ anymore! How have you been?" her grandmother's secretary said, standing from his seat.

"It's been a while, Jiraiya-sama." Sakura bowed her head.

"Sixteen years to be exact," Jiraiya chuckled. "So long, so _young_…" His eyes began to drift.

"Look at her in any wrong way and I'll gouge out your eyes," Sasuke threatened.

"Right…"—the old pervert was suddenly busy with his paperwork—"Anoo . . . Saila--"

"It's _Sakura_," the pink-haired girl said.

"Going Japanese now, _eh_?" Jiraiya chuckled again. "Well, anyway, _Sakura_, your grandmother will see you now."

"Arigato," Sakura thanked the man.

Sasuke held the door for her and followed her in.

"_Wow_…" Naruto whistled. "Sakura's grandmother must hold a high position here if her office is on the same floor as the CEO's."

"You _idiot_! You have no idea who her grandmother is, don't you?"

Naruto shook his head, and Jiraiya started to question his god-son's IQ.

"You're really an idiot, aren't you, Naruto?"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Annyeonghasimnikka, Halmeoni." Sakura bowed her head.

Tsunade smiled. "Formalities aren't needed here, child. Come; give your grandmother a hug."

Sakura did as she was told and even added in a kiss on the cheek. Sure, they lived in the same house, but lately Tsunade had become too busy with the company that she came home at midnight and left early at six, so Sakura hadn't really seen her for a long while.

"I'm sorry I called you here, my dear," Tsunade said. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you for another unfair thing."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Halmeoni…"

"Sweetheart, I'm retiring soon…" Tsunade explained, caressing her granddaughter's hands. "And I _need_ someone to take over the company after I leave . . . and I was thinking . . . maybe--"

"Halmeoni, please don't ask that of me." Sakura pleaded, shaking her head and holding back tears. "Running a company isn't my thing… It's not like me…"

"But, sweetie, if you just--"

But Sakura didn't want any part of it. "Halmeoni! I really _don't_ want to work here!" she protested. "This place still holds too many painful memories for me! I can't--"

"Your parents and grandfather gave their _everything_ to this company! Sakura, this company meant something to them! If you refuse this job, you'll be turning your back on your mother, your father, and your grandfather!"

Sakura had no comeback to that—in fact, she was too upset to even _think_ of one. Before her tears threatened to fall from her eyes, she ran out of the office.

"Sakura!" Sasuke called after her. He bowed his head in respect to Tsunade and ran after the pink-haired girl.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Sakura couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She held onto the railing for support, but she was so upset. How could her grandmother treat her so? It was like the company was more important to her grandmother than she would ever be.

Suddenly, Sakura felt two strong arms around her.

"On the roof again?"

"I haven't even come here in the last sixteen years," she reminded him.

"Yes . . . but, during middle school _and_ high school, you always escaped to the roof whenever you were troubled."

"And if I remember correctly, it was _usually_ because of _you_."

"Mm . . . yes, but . . . I'm not the reason this time, am I?"

Sakura sighed. "No, you're not… I just . . . I just don't _understand_ her! How could she ask me to work _here_!?!"—she turned herself around so that she was facing the Uchiha—"I feel so suffocated here—I can't even _breathe_ in this place! I don't even know what's going on in Harlequin®! How could I work _here_!?"

Sasuke held her close. "Sakura…"

She started crying into his shoulder. "I'm so upset! How could my own grandmother even think that--"

"Sakura, she only wants what's best for you… Perhaps you should listen to her…"

". . . Do you really think that?" Sakura asked after a while of silence.

"It's your choice, Sakura." the Uchiha said. "Just remember: I'll always be by your side, no matter what you decide."

"Fine…"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"I'm glad you came to this decision, Sakura." Tsunade said. "This job can only be done by you and _only_ you, though you'll have Sasuke and Naruto to help you."

"Ye, Halmeoni…"

"You will be working alongside Nara Shikamaru on the merging project with the companies Marionette® and Rouschen®. However, unlike Shikamaru, you will be reviewing everything he's doing. And the representatives of the other two companies shall assist you."

"Will one of them also be a future candidate for CEO of their company?" Sasuke asked.

"As a matter in fact, yes. Jiraiya will brief you about that."—the old lady glanced at her watch—"You're dismissed."

"Are you going somewhere?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, Momiji's spring break starts today. I promised her that I'd spend time with her while her mother is away."

"Oh, right… Tell her that I might be back late tonight."

"Mm . . . alright, but she's not going to like that." Tsunade said. "You can expect that she will stay up waiting for you."

Sakura didn't say anymore as she, Sasuke, and her grandmother walked out of the office.

"Oh, and Sakura," Tsunade said. "Don't let _anyone_ who works in this company know that you're one of the candidates for CEO. I fear they will try to take advantage of you if they know."

"_Ye_, Halmeoni."

"That's a good girl…" She kissed her granddaughter on the forehead.

Tsunade took the elevator down, but Sasuke and Sakura stopped at Jiraiya's desk where Naruto was waiting for them.

"Man! You guys took _forever_!" he whined. "What were you _doing_ in there!?"

"My grandmother was briefing me about my job." Sakura explained.

". . . M'kay but, Sakura, your grandmother must have a high position if her office is here. Is she one of Harlequin's® shareholders?"

"Anoo . . . yeah… _Some_thing like that…"

All three of them—Sasuke, Sakura, and Jiraiya—had to fight off an urge to hit the dobe on the head. Seriously, how much more _obvious_ could it be?

"_What_? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Never mind…"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"So, yeah, you'll all be working together in _here_." Jiraiya said as he opened an office door. "This main room will be for the lower-positioned workers while _that_ office"—he pointed to the door on the far wall—"will be for Sakura, Sasuke, and the CEO candidates of Marionette® and Rouschen®."

"Hey, Jiraiya!" Naruto complained. "How come it feels like you're only explained things to _me_!?"

"That's because both Sasuke and Sakura can figure everything out while you, on the other hand, are a bit slow. I can't trust you to _not_ hurt yourself while thinking."

"Oh, that makes sense…" Naruto said, nodding his head.

"Dobe, you just called yourself stupid." Sasuke said.

"NO ONE ASKED YOU, TEME!!"

"Enough, fighting you two!" Jiraiya snapped. He glanced over at the pink-haired girl who hadn't said anything since her grandmother left. She was even more despondent now, and Jiraiya knew the reason why. "Sasuke," he asked of the Uchiha, "Will you bring Sakura in to check out the office?"

"Fine"—he turned to Sakura—"_Gaja_…" He used the Korean word instead of the Japanese word because he knew doing that would be the only thing that would get through to her.

"Fine…" Sakura answered, her eyes still had that dim and distant look in them. As the two walked, Sasuke put his arm around her waist to support her (and to make sure she wouldn't bump into things as she was in deep thought).

Once the couple disappeared behind the office doors, Naruto said to his god-father, "A hundred bucks that they'll tie the knot soon."

Jiraiya clicked his tongue. "Instead on worrying about _that_ steady couple, you should be worrying about yourself! You're in your early-twenties already, and yet you _still_ don't have a girlfriend. That's just sad…"

"_Hey_! It's not like I was single for my _whole_ life! I _did_ have a girlfriend _once_, you know!"

"_Oh_?"—the old man raised an eyebrow—"_Really_? What happened to her then?"

"Her father didn't like us being together, so he sent her abroad to continue her studies."

"Man, that's harsh…" Jiraiya sighed, feeling sorry for his god-son. "Did you still like her?"

"I loved her then, and I still love her now." Naruto answered. "I haven't gotten over her yet, and I don't think I'll ever do."

"Che, stop looking on the negative side of things. There are many fish in the sea."

"Yeah, I know… But I can't stop missing her…"

"Tough break… Well, if you feel that way then--"

Suddenly, the old man's phone rang. "_Moshi moshi_, this is Jiraiya speaking. How may I help you? . . . Uh-huh… Uh-_huh_, I see… Well, send them up to--What? They're already _here_? . . . Well, then, send them in… Okay, thanks. A-bye-bye." He hung up.

"_Well_..?" Naruto asked. "What was _that_ about?"

"Marionette's® representatives are here already, so be on your best behavior." Jiraiya warned as the door opened.

Three people came in, one guy and two girls. One of the girls had chocolate-brown hair tied up in two buns, the _odango_ hairstyle which was still quite popular in that part of Japan, and she fashioned a Chinasque outfit. The boy had his mud-brown hair down, and it went all the way down to mid-chest length. He fashioned a suit, and his slightly lavender eyes matched that of the last person's. Her black hair showed a small hint of blue highlights, and her pale skin and delicate outfit made her seem like a docile doll.

As Naruto and Jiraiya bowed in respect and as the three returned the gesture, the hyperactive knucklehead caught sight of the docile representative. His eyes widened.

"Welcome to Harlequin®!" Jiraiya said. "I hope our workers were humble and polite to you—why, they should've been on their _best_ behavior. I hope they were."

"They were quite pleasant, Jiraiya-sama." Neji said. "We're pleased to have the honor of working with such fine people and--"

The brown-haired girl nudged him then. "_Hora_, Neji! Look! It's Naruto!"

When the two Hyuga cousins heard Tenten's words, their eyes widened as they realized the truth in her words.

"N-Naruto-kun…"

_Hinata-chan…_

* * *

**Annyeonghasimnikka = hello (formal Korean)**

**Dou shita no = what's wrong?**

**Halmeoni = grandmother (Korean)**

**Gaja = let's go (Korean)**

**Moshi moshi = hello (on the phone)**

**Ye = yes (Korean)**

**New characters:**

**Momiji = you might not know her but she appears in the anime in episode 187. Momiji is a young girl, who likes potato chips and strong people. She travels with the peddlers Haruna was hidden amongst. She has been taught to find water by her Granny, and is very easy to bribe and can't keep secrets. _In my fanfic, though, she is Sakura's younger half-sister!_**

**OMG! What had happened between Hinata and Naruto!? Well, if you want to find out then read the next chapter when it comes out, okay? Thank you and please review!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Wind and Flower Bouquets

-Okay, so what happens when you put all the _Naruto_ characters plus 5 OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

* * *

**Yay! A new chapter! _Finally_! I'm so sorry it took so long, but I had a new _bunch_ of fanfiction ideas stuck in my head. I think I'm getting addicted to writing stories and stuff. It's crazy, really. I mean, I've been neglecting my older stories! I'm sorry for that you guys! I promise never to do that anymore! Pinkie swear!**

**. . . Well, actually, I'm not good with virtual promises that include working on my stories, so you'll just have to trust me, okay? Oh, and this chapter is named after Sugar's 風と花束. For some reason, I was listening to this song, and I wanted to have Sakura screaming at Hinata and throwing things at her. But then I thought it should be more _civilized_ and throwing things _isn't_… So, yeah… Please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Five

The Wind and Flower Bouquets

"You okay?"

Sakura nodded her head, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. The Uchiha allowed her to rest against his chest. After all, he had never liked seeing her cry.

"It's so nostalgic and so ironic at the same time…" she sighed, her voice was cracking up. "The last time I've ever been in here was when my mom was still with me… I promised myself that I wouldn't come back here . . . to save myself from any more pain… And yet, here I am now… My grandmother wants me to take over my mother's position, all she did, and everything she worked for… In another reality and time,"—she smiled at the thought of her mother holding her hand again—"I would have _gladly_ done so, but now…" Her tears finally broke through her barrier and escaped from her eyes.

"You know, you don't have to act so strong…" Sasuke said, wiping away her tears. "I'll always be here for you to lean onto."

"I know…" Sakura said, burying her face into his chest. "But it's so hard for me to let go…"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

The two ex-lovers—Naruto and Hinata—just stared at each other, unaware of the other people in the room. They were only conscious of the other's presence, almost as if there _were_ no others in the world. For a long while, they just stood there, just staring at each other… They didn't even move a muscle.

"Eh-heh-heh… Anoo, Naruto…" Jiraiya dared to break the silence. "We shouldn't keep our guests waiting like this. We-"

But the old man didn't have a chance to finish his peace-making because Naruto threw his papers onto the desk, stomped out of the room (not literally), and slammed the door shut.

_What's gone up _his_ ass?_ Jiraiya thought. "Anoo . . . eh-heh-heh"—he scratched his head awkwardly—"You'll have to forgive Uzumaki-san. He hasn't been feeling well, and so-"

"Don't worry about it," Neji said; he, Tenten, and Hinata worried about the idiot. "We can understand where he's coming from. It's perfectly fine."

"Thank you for being so understanding." Jiraiya bowed in respect.

And as Neji returned the gesture, the other office doors opened.

"Jiraiya, have Marionette's® representatives arrive . . . yet..?" Sakura's voice trailed off as she saw the new people in the room. Her eyes widened, and so did Sasuke's. "Hinata-chan? Neji-kun and Tenten, too!"

"Sa . . . Sakura-chan…" Hinata stuttered in surprise, her guilt now boiling to the point of no return. "Sasuke-san…"

Neji smirked. "I see you're back from the States, Uchiha."

"Glad to _be_ back," Sasuke returned the smirk.

"It's nice to see you again, Sakura." Tenten said.

The cherry blossom scoffed. "Well, I can't say the same for you," she said; her voice had a hint of bitterness in it. "So . . ." she continued. "You three are _finally_ back after five years of nothing, huh?"

"Sa . . . Sakura-chan…"—Hinata's widened, and she couldn't meet Sakura's, but she knew she deserved it—"I . . . I can explain…"

"You know, save it for someone who _cares_, Hinata." Sakura snapped. "How can you justify your leaving in such a hurry that you didn't even tell _any_ of us? How can you explain why you didn't even keep in contact with us over those years we _worried_ about you? Do you even _know_ what you did? How _Naruto_ took it? He-"

Sasuke grabbed her arm then, signaling for her to stop.

Sakura turned to him; her eyes glistened again with tears but, this time, they were tears of anger. She batted her eyes to keep the tears from falling, and she returned to glaring at the Hyuga heiress.

"_Anoo_…" Jiraiya asked, trying to break the tension. "Am I _missing_ something here? Sakura, you should know better than to be rude to our guests. Why, whatever they did couldn't have been that-"

"Jiraiya, she's the girl who _broke_ Naruto's heart! The one who left him, who _deserted_ him!" she screamed. "How could you expect me to accept her when she's the one who sent Naruto into a depression?"

"Sakura…" Sasuke warned, giving a hard tug on her arm.

"What?" she asked. "Did I say something _wrong_? Do you really expect me to-"

"Sakura," he warned once more. "I know where you're coming from, but this is _work_…" he said. "We can sort out personal issues later…"

Sakura didn't answer. Her eyes just shot to Jiraiya. "Where's Naruto?"

"He . . . he went out." Jiraiya stammered. _Man, she's sure scary! She's like a Tsunade Junior!_

Sakura's gaze returned to the Uchiha, her unsaid command clear.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine," he said in defeat. "I'll go get the dobe. Just don't do anything rash." But before he could leave the office, Jiraiya grabbed his arm.

"Hey, don't leave me like _this_!" the old man pleaded in a whisper. "You know I can't stop neither Sakura nor Tsunade when they're in a rage…"

"Hn… Don't worry about it too much," was what Sasuke said. "Sakura will listen to _reason_." And then he left.

After the door closed, Sakura wouldn't even glance at the Hyuga heiress. Instead, she walked over to the desk and straightened out the papers Naruto had thrown.

"Sakura, I-"

"Don't talk to me…" Sakura snapped, still not looking at Hinata. "I may have accepted the fact that your father is going to marry my step-mother, but I haven't accepted the fact that you're going to be my step-_sister_."

Hinata's and Tenten's eyes widened, but Neji showed no emotions; he just shut his eyes and exhaled. _Well, the secret's out…_

Sensing the strange silence, Sakura turned around; her eyes scrutinizing the three. "What? You three didn't know?"

The surprised faces answered her question.

She scoffed and returned to straightening the papers. "Then I probably should tell you: the wedding date has already been set and, when your father and my step-mother get back from China, the families are meeting."

"But . . . why so soon?" Hinata asked.

"_Soon_?" the Zainichi Korean laughed. "They've been seeing each other for the past two _years_. Has your father _not_ told you anything? Even Hanabi knows."

"But why would he-"

"If I knew, I certainly wouldn't have told you anything. I just assumed you knew."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"I never thought you'd _run_, Dobe. Surprised me in there, you know."

"And I never thought you'd _care_ about me, Teme, but I guess we're both getting surprises today, huh?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he leaned against the wall. "I probably wouldn't be here if Sakura hadn't asked me to check on you."

Naruto snorted. "You'd do anything Sakura asks you to, wouldn't you?"

"If it's within reason then yes."—as he said that, he closed his eyes—"But there _is_ something I've been curious about since I came back to Japan last time."—he opened his eyes—"What _exactly_ happened between you and Hinata?"

"Didn't Sakura tell you about it?"

"Yes…"—the Uchiha walked over and sat next to the knucklehead—"But she's a bit biased when she's angry."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah… I guess she is."

"_Well_?"

The blonde sighed. "I proposed to Hinata, did you know that?"

"Hn… I figured that out from the little pieces Sakura had told me."

"Okay, well, yeah, so when Hizashi found out, he was _fuming_ mad—and I mean, _crazy_ mad. He had smoke coming out of his ears and stuff. He even declared that I was forbidden to see Hinata."

"And I'm guessing it's because you didn't ask him for permission to ask for her hand."

"Well, yeah, but that's not the point! And are you going to keep interrupting me or _what_?"

". . ."

"_Thank you_!" Naruto said. "Now, where was I? Oh, so, yeah, I couldn't see Hinata, and she couldn't see me. _But_! Of course, we didn't _listen_ to him, and we kept seeing each other—we even made plans to elope together, but . . . on the day we were supposed to elope, Hinata just . . . she just broke up with me. She never gave me a legit reason, and I figured it was because she just got cold feet, and so . . . I went to her house the next day to ask her why. But it turned out that she had gone to Europe the night before."

Sasuke's eyes widened (but not by much since Uchiha men don't show emotion). He had heard that the couple had broken up a million of times before but not like this.

"I tried calling her hundreds of times, but she never picked up—not _once_. She never called back either, and so . . . I ended up trying to hate her…"—he sighed—"But I couldn't. It's hard, you know… Hating someone when you actually love them so much… But, hey, I'm just your average guy!"—he tried to smile—"But that's only what I think anyways. You'd probably be able to do it in a flash."

"Actually, Naruto," Sasuke sighed. He hated seeing the dobe torture himself like this, idiot or not. "Even_ I _wouldn't be able to do that. Take for example, my relationship with my brother. Sure, when Itachi left to go study abroad for _ten years_, I was cold and distant whenever his name came up, but I still loved him even if I hated him with every ounce of my life." He glanced over at the knucklehead.

Apparently, Naruto was sporting the "_Huh_?" face. "Anoo . . . where are you going with this, Teme?"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "What I'm saying, Naruto—and _don't_ make me repeat this—is that, even if you try your hardest to hate someone, you can never hate them completely."

"Yeah… I kind of figured that out already, but thanks for talking to me, Teme."—Naruto smiled easier now—"Who knew you could be so helpful?"

"Hn…"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Okay," Jiraiya said, crossing his arms. "Before I introduce the Rouschen® representatives, I want to make _ONE _thing clear: I do _not_ want a repeat of what just happened. Is that _clear_?"

"Yeah, yeah, crystal clear…" mumbled the people whom we know as Team 7.

"Good!"—Jiraiya smiled—"Now here they are!"—he opened the door—"Hozuki Suigetsu and Juugo, and Akino Karin!"

"Oh, _no_…" our favorite team muttered.

"Hey, look, you guys! It's Ramen-freak, Pinkie, and Emo-bastard!" the boy laughed at the irony.

"Suigetsu!" Juugo scolded. "We're working right now! Use your manners and be on youR best behavior! You too, Ka-"

But when he turned to look at his female co-worker, she had gone and latched herself onto Sasuke's arm, much to the latter and the latter's girlfriend's dismay.

"Sasuke-kun!" she squealed. "You're back! Did you _miss_ me? And have you dumped that pink-haired stalker yet?"

"Hey!" Sakura yelled. "Just because you're my _cousin_ doesn't mean I won't knock the living daylights out of you if your teasing goes a bit too far!"

Jiraiya groaned. "Why did I even bother..?"

And during all that time, Hinata kept stealing glances at the knucklehead who didn't even notice her doing so. Heck, he wouldn't even _look_ at her. She sighed. She had some major apologizing to do . . . especially with her ex-boyfriend and her soon-to-be step-sister.

* * *

**Zainichi Korean = permanent ethnic Korean residents of Japan**

**Yay! The chapter's finished! How did you guys like it? Good? Bad? Say something in your review, kay?**

**Oh, and by the way, I started a new fanfiction! It's called _Beyond the Realm of Conscience_! And it's based on the Hong Kong drama of the same name! It's a really good drama. If you guys get a chance, you should watch it. But I'm sorry to say, it has a really _crappy_ ending. I _hate_ the ending; everything else was really good, though. Also, I'm planning to make two fanfictions based on the show. Both versions are going to have _Code Geass _characters in it as well as the original _Naruto_ cast. The main focus is definitely going to be Sakura, but I haven't decided if I'm going to make it SasuSaku yet. I've already put the first chapter of the second version up. Just look it up on my account, okay?**

**Thank you, and make sure you review!**


	6. Chapter 6: Nonsense

-Okay, so what happens when you put all the Naruto characters plus 5 OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

* * *

**Yay! A new chapter! I'm sorry it took a while, but I was working on my other fanfics, and my computer was down for a while, so I didn't really have time to work on anything. I'm sorry for your wait, but this chapter is kinda short. Sorry… Oh, since it's been a long while since I've updated, you need a list of the minor _Naruto_ characters I'm using! Here you go!**

**ANBU = yeah, you know who they are, but _in this fanfiction, they're a Yakuza gang, meaning that they're bad guys… They probably won't have that big of a role in this story anyway…_**

**Hotaru = the granddaughter of the former leader of the Tsuchigumo clan, En no Gyōja. She appears only in the anime and becomes Utakata's student shortly before his death. _In my fanfic, she is one of Sakura's bodyguards who replaces her parents whenever they're absent from their job._**

**Jirobo = the physically strongest member of the Sound Four and the weakest overall, according to the other members of the Sound Four. _In my fanfic, he is also one of Sakura's bodyguards who she looks up to as a fatherly/brotherly-figure. Oh, and, by the way, he is married to Tayuya. He is also Utakata's cousin._**

**Tayuya = the kunoichi of Orochimaru's Sound Four. _In my fanfic, she is married to Jirobo and is one of Sakura's bodyguards who she looks up to as a motherly/sisterly-figure._**

**Teuchi = the owner of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. He and his daughter, Ayame, consider Naruto their best customer and always treat him well. _In my fanfiction, he is Sakura's chef, but his ramen is still the best there is!_**

**Utakata = a shinobi from Kirigakure and the jinchūriki of the Six-Tailed Slug. The Six-Tails has been captured and sealed by Akatsuki, causing Utakata's death when the beast was extracted. Utakata was featured in an anime-only arc detailing his capture by Pain. _In my fanfic, he is one of Sakura's bodyguards who annoy her. Oh, and he is also Jirobo's cousin._**

**Well, that's it, and the five OCs are still to come (one comes in this chapter; you'll get her stats at the bottom), so please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Six

Nonsense

"You didn't have to be so harsh to her, you know…"

"Yeah… I know…" Sakura sighed, looking out the car window to see the passing scenery. "But really, you weren't here when Hinata left. It was a _huge_ mess. You wouldn't believe me even if you had all the time in the world to try to understand…"

"Well," Sasuke said, "It's a forty-minute drive to your house if I take the turnpike, and I'm up for a good story."

Sakura glanced over at her boyfriend. "If you insist… Oh, and take a left after the turnpike. There's a nice park there, and I'm up for a good walk."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"I'm home," Shikamaru said as he entered his home.

"Oh, Oniisan! Welcome back!" his cousin-in-law said. "How was work today?"

"It was troublesome…" he answered. "But I found out I have to work with Kiba on a project. That's something good."

"Oh, really? Did he go home, too?"

"Yeah, but anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Your girlfriend didn't know where you lived, so I brought her here. She's in the living room."

"_Really_? Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru muttered under his breath. "Thanks for helping her, Satsuki."

"No problem. Temari's going to be my cousin-in-law soon, so I gotta earn some brownie points," she teased. "Well, I got to go. See you around, Shikamaru."

"Wait," Shikamaru said before Satsuki walked out the door. He debated with himself before asking his question. "Does . . . does Naruto still have a crush on Hyuga Hinata?"

"_Hyuga Hinata_? _Anoo_…" she thought about it. "I don't _think_ so… But he could still like her. After all, _she_ was the one who broke up with _him_ before leaving the country after two years of dating him."

"Right…" Shikamaru nodded his head. He remembered those days clearly. Naruto was so depressed that he couldn't eat for days.

"Wait a minute," he told Satsuki. "I'll drive you home. It's not good for pregnant women to walk too much."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I need to go to Kiba's house." she explained. "Apparently, he has something _big_ to tell us. Shino's going there, too, and we're going home together."

"Well, alright… If you say so."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Welcome back, Naruto." Kurenai greeted the knucklehead as he walked into the house. "You look all tired out. Hard day at work today?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, come in and eat something. I have leftover ramen sitting on the table."

"Anoo . . . no thanks, Kurenai-obasan. I'm not that hungry." Naruto said, trying to smile. "Anoo . . . I'll be in my room."

"Oh, o-okay…"

But once Naruto left the room, she raised an eyebrow. _Naruto refusing _ramen_? _she thought. _Boy, I never thought I'd see the day again. Something must have happened._

"Hey, Kurenai-obasan!" Anko said, coming into the living room. "I thought I heard Naruto coming in."

"You heard correct, sweetie…" Kurenai sighed. "He refused _ramen_, Anko. I haven't seen him like this since…"—she shook her head, not wanting to remember the incident—"Can you please see what's wrong with him?"

Though Anko knew talking wasn't what her brother wanted, she listened to her aunt and went into the lion's den-I mean, her brother's room. And when she walked in, Naruto was on his bed, faced up, and was just staring at the ceiling.

_Okay…_ Anko thought. _Something's _definitely_ wrong. Naruto is _never_ this quiet. _"Hey, my bro! What's shakin', baby?"

But Naruto didn't seem to have heard.

Anko sighed. "Okay, I know I'm not Sasori, and I'm definitely not Tobi but, unlike the latter, I'm your blood-related sister… However, despite that fact, I really don't know how to talk to you. I really don't know much about you anymore, and-"

"Anko, you and Sasori and Tobi have all worked your hardest to help our family ever since our parents and Asuma-ojisan died," Naruto reminded her. "Don't feel guilty about not spending enough time with me because you have never neglected me before."

"Heh, now I feel even guiltier."

"Anko, I'm not _trying_ to make anyone feel guilty." Naruto said. "I'm just speaking the truth."

"Yeah, I know that, but when have you become this _noble_?"

"_Anko_…"

"Fine, fine, I won't bother you anymore but, if you want someone to talk to, I'm _always_ available."

"Yeah, I know, Aneue. I know…"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"After Naruto proposed, everything seemed to have gone smoothly for a time… We really had no troubles, and nothing really bothered us. The only thing that would have made it perfect—you know, like perfect-perfect—would have been _you_. But, yeah, anyway, moving on… It was about a week before Naruto's birthday when Hinata started becoming more . . . _secluded_ from the rest of us. We thought it was because of her father, and we were correct . . . up to a point," Sakura explained. "And then . . . on his birthday, Naruto didn't even show up. We went to look for him, and apparently . . . well, you know what happened afterwards."

She sighed. Sure, it had happened years ago, but the memory was still fresh in her mind. "The pain that he went through… I thought he'd go crazy. Hinata was _everything_ to him, his whole world… He was so shocked when she dumped him… It only made things worse when he found out she went to study aboard… I don't know how he could live with it and manage to put up such a strong façade… But everything was and still is different… Naruto still hasn't fully recovered from the break-up, but he's not the shell of his former shell he was those first few months after the break-up."

"Well, it's natural, isn't it?" the Uchiha asked. "I mean, Hinata meant to Naruto what you mean to me. It's most likely that he'd still be in shock…"

Sakura smiled. "Does that mean you'd be the same if I'd dump you?"

"Depends," he mused. "Why _would_ you dump me?"

"For being a conceited bastard."

"And since when have I have I been conceited when it comes to you?"

"Well… Well…" Sakura turned red as she soon realized she couldn't come up with anything to back up her comeback. "You . . . well . . . you know, you…"

"You know, I'm listening, but nothing you say makes any sense. Should I send you back to kindergarten?"

"Stop teasing me!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Hey, _Okaasan_~?"

"Yes, Satsuki?" Tsume asked as she chopped the carrots. "What is it?"

"What do you think Kiba is going to tell us today? He seemed pretty serious yesterday."

"Who knows?" Hana shrugged, dumping the carrot bits into the boiling stew.

"He's like your cousin, Naruto, you know—always full of surprises and always wanting the last laugh…" Tsume said. "The last time he was serious about something was the time when he thought Akamaru needed a playmate."

The three women laughed at the memory while Akamaru barked along with them.

"Okay, okay, enough joking around." Tsume said, handing Satsuki a tray with bowls of rice. "Help me set the table."

"_Hai_, Okaasan!" Satsuki replied singsong, taking the tray to the dining hall. And as she placed the bowls on the table, she heard the door in the living room open.

"Suki honey? Okaasan?"

"Shino!" Satsuki called to her husband. "You're a bit late! Your brother got here before you did!"

"He _did_?" Shino came into the room.

"Sure did, bro!" Kiba laughed as he, too, came into the dining hall. "You're the last one here!"

"Alright, alright, Kiba, settle down…" Tsume said as she and Hana came, carrying the rest of the dishes and placing them on the table. "And stop teasing your brother!"

"Yeah, okay…" Kiba groaned as Shino took his seat next to his wife.

"Hey, Kiba, stop giving us your stink-face!" Satsuki said. "It'll scare my baby!" she added, rubbing her stomach.

"How can you tell if the baby's still there?" Kiba inquired. "Your stomach hasn't even gotten bigger yet!"

Satsuki pouted.

"Don't make jokes like that!" Hana scolded her younger brother. "Daijōbu, Suki. The baby's perfectly fine. Kiba's just an idiot."

The soon-to-be mother smiled.

"Akamaru!" Shino called to the family pet. "Dinner!"

And once Akamaru came, the family started eating. They had a few more light conversations here and there. However, the real conversation came right in the middle of their meal…

"So, Kiba," Tsume was the one who spoke. "What was it that you wanted to tell us?"

"Well…" He grinned nervously and scratched his head, trying to think of a perfect way to word his announcement. "I'm . . . I'm going to marry Hinata-chan."

Silence ascended upon the room, and that's when chaos broke out.

"WH-_WHAT_?" Satsuki shrieked. "You're going to _marry_ the Hyuga girl?" She was in utter and complete shock. Her hands went limp, and she dropped her chopsticks. Unless all of Hell froze over, there was _no way _she was going to be in-laws with the girl who had mercilessly broke her cousin's heart. There was absolutely no way!

* * *

**Aneue = older sister**

**Obasan = aunt; auntie**

**Whew! It's done! Oh and, by the way, peoples, I made a new fanfic! It's called _Beyond the Realm of Conscience_! It's a _Naruto_ fanfic with some _Code Geass _characters, and it's also a Dark Sakura fanfic! It's based on the Hong Kong drama of the same name, so yeah… Please check it out!**

**Also, here's the list of the new characters that came in this chapter:**

**Anko = she was the examiner for the second exam of the Chūnin Selection Exams who trained under Orochimaru. _In this fanfic, however, she is Naruto's older sister._**

**Hana = Kiba's older sister but _in this fanfic, she's also Shino's older sis._**

**Satsuki Sarutobi (OC1) = _(AKA Suki) Shino's pregnant wife, Naruto's cousin, and Kurenai and Asuma's only child_**

**Tsume = Kiba's mom but _in this fanfic, she's also Shino's mom._**

**Oh, and this chapter is based on K-pop group Koyote's song of the same name. I hoped you enjoyed it and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Hurricane Venus

-Okay, so what happens when you put all the Naruto characters plus 5 OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

* * *

**Hooray! I've got a new chapter up! Yay! I'm sorry it took a while—actually, it took a really, _really_ long while—but I was really busy, and I had an author's block on this thing. But I had this chapter already written out, I just forgot to put it online. Sorry, but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Oh, since it's been a long while since I've updated, you need a list of the minor _Naruto_ characters I'm using and what roles they're playing! So here you go!**

**ANBU = yeah, you know who they are, but _in this fanfiction, they're a Yakuza gang, meaning that they're bad guys… they probably won't have that big of a role in this story anyway…_**

**Anko = she was the examiner for the second exam of the Chūnin Selection Exams who trained under Orochimaru. _In this fanfic, however, she is Naruto's older sister._**

**Hana = Kiba's older sister but _in this fanfic, she's also Shino's older sis._**

**Hotaru = the granddaughter of the former leader of the Tsuchigumo clan, En no Gyōja. She appears only in the anime and becomes Utakata's student shortly before his death. _In my fanfic, she is one of Sakura's bodyguards who replaces her parents whenever they're absent from their job._**

**Jirobo = the physically strongest member of the Sound Four and the weakest overall, according to the other members of the Sound Four. _In my fanfic, he is also one of Sakura's bodyguards who she looks up to as a fatherly/brotherly-figure. Oh, and, by the way, he is married to Tayuya. He is also Utakata's cousin._**

_**Satsuki Sarutobi (OC1) = (AKA Suki) Shino's pregnant wife, Naruto's cousin, and Kurenai and Asuma's only child**_

**Tayuya = the kunoichi of Orochimaru's Sound Four. _In my fanfic, she is married to Jirobo and is one of Sakura's bodyguards who she looks up to as a motherly/sisterly-figure._**

**Teuchi = the owner of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. He and his daughter, Ayame, consider Naruto their best customer and always treat him well. _In my fanfiction, he is Sakura's chef, but his ramen is still the best there is!_**

**Tsume = Kiba's mom but _in this fanfic, she's also Shino's mom._**

**Utakata = a shinobi from Kirigakure and the jinchūriki of the Six-Tailed Slug. The Six-Tails has been captured and sealed by Akatsuki, causing Utakata's death when the beast was extracted. Utakata was featured in an anime-only arc detailing his capture by Pain. _In my fanfic, he is one of Sakura's bodyguards who annoy her. Oh, and he is also Jirobo's cousin._**

**Well, that's it, and there are four more OCs still to come, so please enjoy this chapter! Oh, and by the way… This chapter is named after BoA's new Korean single! Reasons why: well, everything (especially in the end of this chapter and in the original _Naruto_ manga) is going crazy and, whenever I try to think of a _Sailor Moon _crossover with _Naruto_, I always think of Ino as Sailor Venus. So… yeah… Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Seven

Hurricane Venus

As Satsuki sat on the passenger's seat, she slammed the door shut. "I can't _believe_ this!" she fumed to her husband as he got onto the car. "How _could_ he? Did he actually _think_ that _I_ would accept _this_? Let me tell you, I—"

Shino sighed. He knew very well about his wife's temper, but she really did have a good reason to blow her head off this time. Even his mother couldn't take the news and had immediately excused herself the moment Kiba had made the announcement. Hana also had said nothing about it and had gone to check on her mother. Akamaru, too. He had whined in disappointment and went to follow Hana. Satsuki, however, stayed for a while to only glare at the dog-boy, and then she stomped out of the house. Shino had only shaken his head when his brother turned to him with pleading eyes. Then he followed his wife out. And that's really how it all went down.

"Shino! Are you even _listening_ to me?"

Bug-Boy sighed again. "Satsuki, darling, it all happened long ago, and—"

"What do you mean _'long ago'_?" his wife shrieked. "It only happened just _three years _ago!"

"Okay, okay…" Shino said, trying to calm her down. "It all happened only a _while_ ago, but you know as well as I do that Kiba's loved Hinata since middle school. We should—"

"_YADA_!"

"I haven't even finished yet!"

"But you were going to tell me to give them a chance, _weren't_ you?"

". . ." Shino couldn't find the right words. It was better to not rile Satsuki anymore than she was already.

"It's not even up to _me_ anyways!" she retorted, crossing her arms and falling back into the seat. "Okaasan's the one who has to give them her blessings, and Naruto—"

"You're going to _tell_ him?"

"Well, of course, I am! We practically grew up together like siblings! I can't keep a secret from him!"

"Satsuki, nothing's finalized _yet_…" Shino explained. "There's no need to involve your cousin yet…"

"But—"

"Satsuki, listen to me. Naruto was hurt when Hinata dumped him. You wouldn't want him to get hurt again, would you?"

". . . No…"

"Good, now calm down. It's not good for the baby if you're this angry."

Satsuki couldn't argue with that, and so she pouted as Shino started the car and began to drive. She didn't want her cousin to suffer again just because of the spoiled Hyuga brat, but if she were to keep this a secret then . . . wouldn't she be betraying Naruto?

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

There was a knock.

"Come in, Naruto…" Old Lady Chiyo said.

The knucklehead walked in and sat across from his grandmother's bed. "You wanted to see me?" he asked.

"Yes…" She nodded her head. "Naruto, it's Sakura's birthday soon… Did you remember that?"

The knucklehead rubbed his head, a bit embarrassed. "Actually . . . Obaachan, if you didn't remind me, I would've forgotten all about it."

"Naruto, I would like to see her," Chiyo said. "I haven't seen her for a while now. I would like you to bring her here sometime soon."

Though Sakura was not blood-related to her, Chiyo had taken quite a liking to the Korean cherry blossom when Kurenai had worked for the Haruno family as their governess. Of course, Kurenai didn't work for them any longer but, when she did, she would sometimes bring the young cherry blossom and her older sister to the house every now and then to play with Naruto, his siblings, and Satsuki. Chiyo had grown very fond of Sakura and her sister—she had thought of them almost as if they were her granddaughters and loved them dearly.

"Okay, I will."

Chiyo nodded her head. "It would have been nice if you met a girl like her…" she sighed.

"Obaachan…"

"You had that crush on her, and it would have been nice if she had taken a liking to you as you did her."

"Obaachan… You shouldn't think like that…" Naruto said. "Sakura-chan was the one who helped us during our time of need, and I don't like her like that anymore. Besides, I think she and Sasuke might be tying the knot soon."

"_Oh_?" Chiyo's tone rose with surprise. "He proposed already?"

Naruto chuckled, scratching his head. "No… Not yet… But I'm thinking he will soon."

"Oh, that will be nice… When did he get back?"

"Just today. Made Sakura-chan get on a motorcycle too." He laughed at the memory. "They're really perfect for each other, you know?"

"Yes, they are…" Chiyo smiled but then sighed as she turned to look at the pictures on her desk—the pictures of her late sons and daughter-in-law AKA Satsuki's father and Naruto's parents. "It would be nice if your parents and uncle were here with us… In fact, it would've been nice to see your uncle give Satsuki away at her wedding…"

"Obaachan, don't say that…" Naruto said, trying to keep his grandmother from tears. "You'll make Asuma-ojisan sad…"

Chiyo closed her tearful eyes, nodding her head. "You're right… Gomennasai, Naruto…" She held her grandson's hands and squeezed them. "You've worked so hard at such a young age… Gomennasai, Naruto, gomennasai…"

Chiyo stifled back a cry as she turned to look at the pictures again but, this time, her focus was on her daughter-in-law's photo. She sighed. "I still have hope . . ." she said, "that your mother is still alive…"

"We never found her body," Naruto stated a very well-known fact. "But for all we know, her body could still be in the ocean…"

Chiyo nodded her head. "Yes . . . but you must continue to have hope… I have a strong feeling… Kushina is alive, I know it…"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"I'm home!" Sakura announced, hanging her coat onto the coat rack.

There was no answer.

"Huh… It's quiet…" she said to Sasuke. "Maybe they're not back yet." But she should've kept her mouth shut because…

"_ONEE~SAMA~_!" A flash of a brown zoomed by and tackled her pink-haired sister into a hug. "You're back!"

"It's good to see you, too, Momiji…" Sakura smiled as the little girl got off of her and pulled her to her feet.

"Oneesama, Obaachan and I had a lot of fun today!"

"Oh, _really_?" Sakura asked. "What did you do?"

"First, we went to the amusement park! Then, we went out to eat, and then we went to the mall!"

"_Really_? That sounds like so much _fun_!" Sakura said. "Did you buy anything at the mall?"

Momiji bit the inside of her mouth to stop herself from smiling but to no avail. "It's a secret, Oneesama."

"_A secret_?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you keep secrets from _me_?"

"Oneesama, don't be mad. I promise you'll like it."

"Hm… Okay, Momiji."

"_Yay_! Oneesama, Sasuke-kun, since you're back, why not watch a movie with me?" the little girl suggested.

"Now, Momiji, you promised me you'd go to bed after your sister came home." Tsunade came into the room then. "Besides, it's late. Itachi must be worried about Sasuke. Don't you think so?"

The small girl frowned but, nevertheless, she obeyed her grandmother. "Hai, Obaachan. Oyasuminasai." she said. Then she walked up the stairs to her room but not without receiving a kiss on the cheek from her older sister.

And once the little girl was gone, Tsunade started the real conversation. "Jiraiya told me that you lost it when you saw Marionette's® representatives. Is that true?"

Sakura hung her head in shame. "Joesong-hamnida, Halmeoni… I—"

"You're _sorry_?" the old lady scoffed. "Is that _all_ you can say?"

"Halmeoni, I—"

"You could've cost us the whole entire deal! We're only _lucky_ that your step-mother is marrying Marionette's® CEO! If not—"

"Halmeoni! I made a mistake, I know that! But I've already taken responsibility for that! What more do you _want_ from me?"

Tsunade didn't say anything, her eyes scrutinizing her granddaughter.

"Tsunade-san, Sakura knows that she's done wrong, and she's already atoned for it." Sasuke explained. "However . . . you're at fault here, too."

Sakura's eyes widened, and Tsunade shot her head back to glare at the Uchiha.

"_Mwo-rago_?" Tsunade couldn't believe her ears. Who was he to say this?

"You know very well the tension between Hinata and your granddaughter caused by Naruto's breakup, but you chose to ignore it and stuck them both in the same department. Didn't you think it was a bit too much? Even if you were trying to do what was best for the company, you still played with fire. Everything weighed on whether or not Sakura and Hinata could refrain from their personal disputes. It was risky, and it was an error on _your_ judgment!"

"How dare you say that to me!" Tsunade snapped. "Who do you think you are?"

"Your granddaughter's friend who cares _more_ about her than you ever did!"

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura warned, tugging on her boyfriend's shirt. But the argument continued on.

"How can you say that? She's my _granddaughter_! I'm her grandmother! How could you care for her more than _I_ do? I love her from the bottom of my heart! There's no question about it!"

"Then stop putting the company in front of her!"

Tsunade fell silent after that. There was nothing else she could say back to him. In fact, his words were true. For the past few years, all she ever did was for the company's best interests. What else had she done? Did she do _anything_ for her granddaughter? She had known the answer to that. She just never wanted to admit.

"Oneesama! Oneesama!" Momiji yelled as she ran down the stairs.

"What is it, Momiji?" Sakura asked.

"Turn on the TV! Yamanaka-san is on the news!"

That confused the older Haruno girl. "Well . . . of-of course, she's on the TV." Sakura said, wondering where her half-sister was going with this. "She's one of Japan's top models. It's nothing special if the media catches up to her."

"This time, it's _different_, Oneesama!" Momiji pleaded, tugging on her sister's arm. "You _need_ to see this! Yamanaka-san wants to _kill_ herself!"

"_WHAT_?"

Now, Tsunade and Sasuke, too, were curious. Just exactly what did this ten-year-old mean? But when Momiji turned on the television, the answer was _not_ pretty.

_"It was here just thirty minutes ago that super-model Yamanaka Ino tried to commit suicide," the reporter stated. "For what reason, no one exactly knows. However, it is suggested that…"_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

_"It was her break-up with ex-model Nara Shikamaru that has wrecked her so—so much so that she was threatening her very own life."_

Temari's mouth had dropped open, and Shikamaru's eyes were as big as dinner plates—the piece of beef he was chewing on was hanging out of his mouth.

_"However, Yamanaka-san did not give her motive for doing so. Instead, she screamed—"_

"Why, that troublesome girl!" Shikamaru wiped his mouth and made a lunge for the phone.

_"—right before she jumped."_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

_"Nara Shikamaru! I won't be ignored!"Ino yelled. "I'll make sure you regret throwing me away! You horrible, lazy-ass bastard!"_

Naruto almost choked on his ramen, and Anko spit out her drink.

"Holy shi—"

Anko glared at her brother, not wanting to hear the word that would come out of his mouth.

Naruto saw this and added, "—take mushrooms!"

They threw their late-night snacks onto the table and grabbed the house phone, fighting over it—clearly, they had forgotten about their cell phones.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

_"You broke my heart… I won't forgive you! And I never will! If you want me gone the I'll go! I'll go to the next world!" And then she jumped._

Sasuke had to hold back the crying Haruno while Tsunade held Momiji, shielding her eyes.

Sakura just kept on crying as she watched, trying to reach out to her friend. "INO-CHAN!"

* * *

**Aneue = older sister**

**Annyeonghasimnikka = hello (formal Korean)**

**Arigato = thank you; thanks**

**Daijōbu = don't worry; it's fine**

**Daijōbu desu ka = are you alright?**

**Dou shita no = what's wrong?**

**Eiya = ugh; ack**

**Gomen, gomen = sorry, sorry [informal]**

**Gomennasai = I'm sorry [formal]**

**Gaja = let's go (Korean)**

**Ganryuu = boss**

**Hai = yes**

**Halmeoni = grandmother (Korean)**

**Hora = hey!**

**Itai = ow; ouch**

**Itai desu = it hurts!**

**Joesong-hamnida = I'm sorry (Korean)**

**Moshi moshi = hello (on the phone)**

**Mwo-rago = what? (Korean)**

**Niisan = older brother**

**Obaachan = grandma; grandmother**

**Obasan = aunt; auntie**

**Ojisan = uncle**

**Oyasuminasai = good night**

**Yada = no way; no (Japanese slang)**

**Ye = yes (Korean)**

**Zainichi Korean = permanent ethnic Korean residents of Japan**

**List of new characters:**

**Chiyo = an old lady from Suna who helped Sakura take down her grandson, Sasori; _In this fanfic, she is also Naruto's grandmother_**

**Momiji = an anime character from episode 187 but, in_ this fanfic, she shall be Sakura's younger half-sister. Unlike her sister, Momiji is fully Japanese. As such, she doesn't speak any Korean._**

**Whew! And that's done!**

**. . . .**

**. . . .**

**OMG! I just remembered Ino tried to commit _suicide_! OMG! What's going to happen? Find out next time! So please review! I won't update until I get almost 15 reviews! Got that?**


	8. Chapter 8: Naturally

-Okay, so what happens when you put all the Naruto characters plus 5 OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

* * *

**Finally! I got another chapter up! Yeah, I know I haven't updated since the fifth of November, 2010, but I was trying to think of some way to get you guys to like the fanfic. Plus, there are not a lot of reviews on this story, and so I thought it'd be okay if I procrastinated just a little.**

**So, since I haven't updated in almost _five_ months, let's go over the crucial event that happened in the last chapter. Ino tried to commit _SUICIDE_! So, yeah, on with the show!**

* * *

Chapter Eight

Naturally

For some reason, time seemed to have stopped. Everything was so hazy… Sakura shook her head in disbelief. She just could get herself to believe it. Her _best friend_—her second cousin, Yamanaka Ino—had just tried to commit _suicide_, and it was all over the _news_!

_No, it can't be…No… Ino's not stupid… She's not crazy…! No, she wouldn't _dare_… She couldn't have…! _Her thoughts just raced around in her mind, not even half finished. "Ino-chan…"

"_Minutes after her jump,_" the newscaster reported, "_rescuers recovered her. She was unconscious but alive. She was later brought to Tokyo hospital_."

Sakura sighed in relief. "Oh, thank the Heavens…"

"Be back by midnight, Sakura."

"_What_?" the pink-haired girl glanced at her grandmother. Had she heard _correctly_?

"It wouldn't look good if someone's best friend, let alone cousin, didn't visit her in the hospital after an attempted suicide." And though Tsunade gave such a formal excuse, Sakura knew her grandmother was giving her permission to visit her friend.

"Gomawoe, Halmeoni."

"I wanna go, _too_!"

"Oh, not _you_!" Tsunade said to Momiji. "_You're_ staying home and going to bed like you promised me hours ago!"

"Aw, Obaachan, that's no _fair_!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Welcome home, Oneesama."

The two Hyuga sisters exchanged a hug.

"It's good to be back, Hanabi."

The younger sister then bowed to her cousin and his fiancée. "It's good to see you again, Neji-niichan, Tenten-san."

Neji returned the gesture. "The same to you, Hanabi-san."

Tenten smiled. "It's been a while. How have you been, Hanabi?"

"Well," was the girl's answer. She turned back to her older sister. "I trust that your flight was—"

"It was fine, Hanabi. Thanks for asking." Hinata replied. "But there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay." The girl shrugged, sensing the urgency of her sister's voice. "Neji-niichan, Tenten-san, feel free to make yourselves at home."

"Oh, that won't be neces—"

"Thank you for the offer, Hanabi." Tenten said, quickly cutting Neji off.

The Hyuga prodigy glanced at his girlfriend—a strange realization hit him just then.

Hanabi smiled at her soon-to-be cousin-in-law and then led her older sister to another room.

"Tenten," Neji addressed once they were alone. "Your family doesn't even know you're back yet, am I correct?"

The brunette didn't answer as she made her way to the couch and sat down. She closed her eyes and nodded once. "How did you know?" she asked after quite some time.

"Yamanaka Ino is your cousin and, if I remember correctly, she is also Sakura's second cousin—not to mention, her _closest_ friend. If your family had known you'd be back then Ino would've known. And if _she_ had known then she would've said something to Sakura, and thus avoiding the whole confrontation this afternoon."

Tenten sighed. "When you asked me to go with you to England, I said yes almost immediately. I didn't give it any thought, and I have no regrets… My family was against it, but still I disobeyed my mother and left with you."—tears came to her eyes—"I left to be _with_ you, and I have no regrets about it—there's no mistake. I love you with all of my heart, but . . . that won't give me the courage to face my family after all this time." She sighed. "But enough about me, let's talk about your uncle's engagement to Sakura's stepmother. You _knew_ about it, didn't you?"

There was no answer.

"Why didn't you tell Hinata and me?"

". . . It's complicated…"

And then Tenten's phone rang.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Oneesama, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes. Hanabi . . . do you know anything about Otousan's engagement to Sakura's stepmom?"

Hanabi's eyes were suddenly preoccupied with the floor, and her fingers fidgeted.

"Hanabi, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Oneesama, I really did try to stop it… I really did!" Hanabi cried. "But Otousan . . . I don't know why, but he wouldn't _listen_ to me!"

"It's okay, it's okay…" the older sister said. She knew it wasn't her sister's fault. After all, the choice to marry was their father's. And she had practically paved the way for this since she dumped Naruto. She should've known her father would've used it to his advantage. "I'm . . . I'm already over the whole thing, and—wait, why would you try and _stop_ Otousan from marrying Sakura's stepmom?"

Hanabi suddenly fell silent again. She knew her sister didn't want to involve her in this whole mess, but now she had let her mouth slip, and that was not good. However, she had no choice but to tell her sister the truth.

"I know of the reason why you dumped Naruto. It was because Otousan made you so that he could continue dating Katsumi-san. I knew that it would remind you of how much you had to suffer if you saw them together. Plus . . . because of the way the situation was handled, I know you and Sakura-san aren't on good terms anymore. And . . . I thought you'd be like me, angry at Otousan for wanting to replace Okaasan…"

Hinata's eyes softened. "Oh, Hanabi… You know that's not why Otousan is going to marry…"

"I know… But Sakura-san—"

"She's not going to stay mad at me forever. And there's almost nothing to worry about. We met today, and we're friends again."

"_Really_?"

Hinata nodded her head, though she knew she was lying the worst possible lie ever. Sakura was known for her temper and, if Hanabi saw _that_ confrontation, it wouldn't look so good for the older Hyuga.

"So . . . you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not!" the Hyuga heiress said. "Why would I be mad at you? In fact, where would you get that idea? Yes, I'm a bit pissed off but definitely not at _you_. You've never wronged me before, and—"

"_INO_!" The scream came from Tenten.

Recognizing the girl's voice, the two sisters rushed into the living room. "What? What's wrong?" they asked, once they caught sight of the girl weeping on the floor—her cell phone turned on and thrown on the ground while Neji tried to comfort her.

"Ino… She . . . she's in the hospital…" the girl sobbed. "She tried . . . she tried to kill herself…!"

✿｡.:***A Couple Hours Ago***:.｡✿

As Sasuke and Sakura got onto the motocycle, the girl's phone rang. She quickly glanced at the caller ID but, a bit rushed at the moment, she didn't recognize the number.

"Whose number is this?"

"Idiot," Sasuke mumbled, after a moment's glance. "That's _Naruto's_ home phone number."

"Oh, right…" If Sakura hadn't been so worried about her friend, she would've blushed from the embarrassment. And as she pressed the "_speak_" button, she told Sasuke, "Call Deidara. The hospital probably won't let anyone in Ino's room without clearance from her brother."

The Uchiha did as he was told.

"Sakura!" Naruto shrieked over the phone. "Did you see—"

"The news?" Sakura finished his question as so she wouldn't become deaf in her left ear. "Yeah, I'm on my way to the hospital with Sasuke right now. You coming?"

"Yeah, no duh!" Naruto said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "_Someone_ needs to make sure you're okay!"

"Sasuke's with me," the rosette murmured.

"Yeah, but he ain't _that_ good at comforting people."

The Uchiha scoffed. "I comforted you this afternoon, didn't I?"

"Yeah, _whatever_…" Naruto dismissed the comment. "Well, anyway, I need to give your cousin a good talking to!" he said to Sakura. "How dare she try to take her life when she's still young enough to be making money with that body of hers!"

_Pervert… _"Well, we'll see you there," the girl said. "Oh, and don't forget to call Deidara to get clearance to visit Ino."

"Hai, hai." With that, the line cut off, and Sakura groaned.

"Daijōbu," Sasuke told her. "Ino's going to be fine."

"Yeah, I know…" she sighed. "It's just that . . . she and Shikamaru . . . well, they broke up _months_ ago. I _know_ she's gotten over it by now—Heck, she told me that herself. Do you think she's just doing this for the publicity?"

"Come on, Sakura. We both know she's not _that_ stupid…"

"But she's desperate," the pinkette countered. "She hasn't gotten much attention from both the media and the men in her life."

"Well,"—the Uchiha passed the girl her helmet—"what does your gut tell you?"

She sighed as her boyfriend started the engine and she put on the helmet. "It's telling me that, unless we're missing something crucial, something's definitely wrong. If she's upset about Shikamaru then she'd done something about it months ago instead of just moping around."

"Well"—the engines roared as they drove out of the driveway, Sakura's arms tightened around Sasuke's waist—"you can ask her when we get there. The last thing I need is you stressing yourself out."

Sakura glanced at him, a smile on her face and an eyebrow raised.

Sasuke caught her look seconds later. "What?"

"Nothing…" she answered, resting her head on his back. "I'm just glad that I have you."

"Tch… Took you long enough to figure it out…"

She scoffed, regretting her comment. "Conceited and arrogant bastard…"

"What are you? The police?" Sasuke teased her. "I'm conceited only _once_, and you throw on your siren?"

"Just focus on the road. I don't want to get into an accident, Uchiha."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Karin, Deidara, how is she?"

When our favorite couple had gotten to the hospital, the nurses had pointed them to the emergency room's waiting area.

"Not good, Saki…" Karin answered, her arms crossed. (A/N: By the way, if I didn't mention this before, she's also Ino's cousin in my fanfic.) "She refused treatment and is now going into a cardiac arrest."

Sakura could barely believe her ears. "And all this because of Shikamaru breaking up with her _months_ ago?"

"Un, I don't think so," Deidara insisted. "You know her. She likes to come up with excuses so that she's not blamed."

"But a cardiac arrest?"

Deidara shrugged, but his worry was palpable on his face. "She's been very distant lately. Maybe she's been doing drugs?"

Both Sakura and Karin slapped him on opposite shoulders.

"I don't _believe_ you!" our favorite rosette exclaimed. "You're her _brother_! If anyone, _you're_ supposed to be the person who believes in her when no one else will!"

"_Yeah_!" Karin seconded that motion.

"Hey, if you two are done hitting people," Sasuke suggested, "maybe you should pay attention to the girl being prepped for surgery."

"_What_?"

Suddenly, all of them were now watching through the glass. An ebony-haired woman stepped out of the ER just then. The group rushed to her.

"Shizune, what's wrong with Ino?" Sakura asked. "Why are you poking needles into her?"

"Sakura, please calm down…"

"_Calm down_?" Deidara asked in utter disbelief. "How can you ask us to calm down when it's our _family member _in there?"

"Shizune," Sakura pleaded again. "Tell me what's going on, please… Ino and I grew up like sisters… The least you could do is tell me what's wrong…"

Shizune seemed to have been debating on whether or not she would tell the cherry blossom. In the end, she decided to.

"When Ino hit the water, the collision must have shocked her body and caused the arrest. But we were too busy with that little problem that we overlooked the cold she got. Her cold has travelled to her lungs, causing pneumonia. Her lungs are shutting down as we speak. We're doing the best we can but, if she gets worse…"

Sakura's legs gave out.

"Maybe you shoulder sit down…" Sasuke suggested, supporting her.

The girl shook her head. "Besides from that, she's okay?"

"Yes, no cancer cells."

Sakura let out a relieved sigh. Ever since her mother and Ino's mother had died of cancer, she had always checked with the blonde's doctors just in case Ino wanted to hide the fact like her mother and aunt had.

After going through the consent proceedings with Deidara, Shizune had left to perform the surgery. Minutes later, Naruto had come. The group was now just waiting for the doctors to say that everything was fine and that Ino just needed some rest.

"You know…" Sakura started to say. "I thought the answer would've been different this time… My mother had started out like this, not so differently… Auntie, too…"

"Daijōbu, Sakura-chan…" the knucklehead said, giving her a small smile. "Ino will be just fine. She's a fighter, you know?"

"Is she okay?"

The group all turned their heads, their eyes widened.

"_Shikamaru_?" Naruto asked.

"Why…?"

"Why are you here?" Deidara was the one who finished Sakura's question.

"I saw the news," was the genius's reply. "How is she?"

"Not good," Karin answered. "She's in surgery."

"_What_?"

"Her lungs were shutting down, Shikamaru." Sakura explained, her voice was barely above that of a whisper. "She was _dying_…"

"Oh, Kami-sama…" Shikamaru could've hit himself on the head. "This is all my fault… _Dammit_…!"

"Shikamaru, you had nothing to do with it," Sakura said, though Karin thought differently.

The redhead let out a "_Hmp_! Damn right it's your fault!"

"Un, quiet, Karin." Deidara scolded. "Ino and him broke up months ago. It can't be because of that."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed. Then he added in a quiet mumble, "It's because I told her I was marrying Temari _yesterday_ that's got her so worked up."

Chaos exploded then. "_WHAT_?" everyone except for Sasuke yelled at the genius.

"You're a bigger idiot than even Naruto is," the Uchiha snorted.

"I can't _believe_ this!" Naruto was ready to pull out his own hair.

"How could you be such a dope?" Karin wanted to slap the bastard.

"You should've made sure someone was there to comfort her!" Sakura cried. "You know how easily depressed she is! Why would you…? Ugh…"

However, Deidara was not one to contain his anger. He grabbed Shikamaru by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"How could you do this? How could you do this to my baby sister?"

"Deidara, _please_…" Sakura pleaded, trying to pry her cousin's hand off of Shikamaru.

"Why did you tell her that you were getting married? Don't you know she hasn't gotten over you yet?"

"I thought it'd be better if she heard it from _me_!" Shikamaru argued. "I even stayed with her until I _knew_ she was okay!"

"_Bullshit_!" Deidara dropped the smartass to the floor. "I don't want you anywhere _near_ my sister, you got that? You left her, so stay _away_ from her!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"You'll have to forgive Deidara. He's just worried—"

"Don't worry about it too much, Sakura…" Shikamaru told her. "I understand where they're coming from."

The cherry blossom nodded her head. "_Anoo_ . . . about Tenten, would you mind keeping her return a secret from Deidara and Ino for a while? They haven't _exactly_ forgiven her for walking out on us yet."

"I understand, Sakura. Besides, I don't want to cause your family anymore trouble. If they found out that Tenten were back, it'd—"

"_What_?"

The two turned their heads. "Deidara?"

"What do you mean that _slut_ is back?" the blonde asked, his fury evident in his eyes.

"Deidei-oppa, I—"

"Sakura, tell me. Just exactly what did you mean?"

"I don't know when she came back, but…"

"But _WHAT_, UN?" Deidara took Sakura by the shoulders and started shaking her for the answer.

"She, Neji, and Hinata came to my work as representatives for another company!"

"_WHEN_, UN?" Deidara was still shaking her roughly.

"_Itai_! _Itai desu_!" Sakura cried.

"Deidara, stop it! You're hurting her!" Shikamaru yelled, trying to get the fury-blinded man to release his hold on his younger cousin.

"Deidara! Let her go!"

In a second, Sasuke's hand pried Deidara's off of the rosette.

"Are you crazy?" Karin asked of the blonde, holding him back. "You could have seriously _injured_ her! I don't need another one of my _cousins_ in the ER!"

But Deidara didn't say anything on that matter. Instead, he just walked away. "I'm going to get some fresh air," he muttered under his breath.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Sasuke asked.

She nodded her head, but her tears flowed down her face, for that ordeal had scared her terribly. "I . . . I've never seen him so angry before…" she said.

"Of course not," Karin said. "Tenten and her mother lived with his family, after all. When he found out Tenten was pregnant, he saw his aunt at her worst. Once Tenten left, he saw Hisame-obasan go crazy. He's blamed Tenten for all these years for causing the woman who was like a second mother to him lose her mind. It's only natural that he'd be furious when he heard of her return." As she spoke, she took out her phone and dialed a number she hadn't dialed in a long time.

"Who are calling?"

"Oh, nobody you know, Saki." Karin said sweetly as she walked out of earshot. The phone kept on ringing for what seemed like forever. It was almost a whole minute until that person picked up.

"What's wrong?" Karin asked the girl. "Scared that I was going to _yell_ at you?"

"How . . . how are you, Karin?"

"I could be better, but there are bigger things happening, Tenten."

"What . . . what do you mean?"

"I'm guessing you haven't seen the news yet."

"What are you talking about? What's on the news? Is it something I should know about?"

"Tenten dear, Ino tried to commit suicide today. She's in the hospital, being prepped for surgery."

* * *

**Gomawoe = thank you (informal Korean)**

**Okaasan = mother**

**Oppa = older brother (Korean honorific)**

**Otousan = father**

**New characters:**

**Hisame = a missing-nin from Amegakure in the second _Naruto_ OVA _but, in this fanfic, she's Tenten's mother._**

**Thank you for reading, and I hope you guys will review! Also, check out my other fanfics and oneshots!**


	9. Chapter 9: Will

-Okay, so what happens when you put all the Naruto characters plus 5 OCs into a Kdrama-based fanfic? Nothing good, that's for sure… There's love, hate, heartbreak, tears, anger, fear, revenge, jealousy, envy, death, anxiety, hesitation, and more—so much more. But hey, when you've got Sasuke and Sakura together, love is always a thrill, shock, and suspense!

* * *

**Yay! A new chapter! Happy day!**

* * *

Chapter Nine

Will

As the constant beeping kept going on, the group continued to watch over Ino. They took shifts, and Deidara had taken the first one, wanting to keep an eye on his sister continually. When Sasuke and Sakura had offered to take their shift, he had refused to rest. That was _his_ baby sister on that hospital bed… Of course, he was worried. She had just gotten out of surgery. When would she wake up and was she in pain? No one knew.

"Deidei-oppa, you _need_ to rest," Sakura insisted. "Please, you…" Her persistence ended when she turned her head towards the opening hospital door. She stood when she saw the people at the door, her spring green eyes wide in surprise. "Tenten… Neji-kun…"

Everyone in the room also stared at the arriving couple with similar expressions. None of them had even expected them to even visit, not now anyway.

"What are you doing _here_?" Deidara sneered, his dislike evident in his eyes and voice. The last time he had seen the girl was three years ago, fighting with her own mother and then leaving the house with her luggage.

"Deidei-niichan, I've come to see how my cousin was doing," Tenten explained, bowing her head ever so because she was still unable to look him in the eye.

"The Hell you—"

"Deidei_-oppa_!" Sakura yelled, halting his harsh words.

"Let's hear her out first…" Karin suggested, her hand on the enraged blonde's shoulder. If this wasn't the time for a family reunion then she didn't know what it was. She just knew it was about time her extended family was reconciled.

But Deidara wasn't as lenient. "There's _nothing_ she can say, _yea_!" He shoved Karin's hand off. "She left with _him_ and was pregnant with _his_ child! Un, I'm not going to let such a _slut_ worm her way back into the family!"

"Deidara, _please_…" Sakura pleaded. She knew his rage came from wounds too deep to completely heal, but the least he could do was _try_. Why recoil from and push away the cousin he had seen as a sister once before? "That's not up to you to decide…"

"Niichan, please forgive me!" the brunette cried, begging and falling to her knees.

Karin almost gasped. The Tenten she knew was always so proud, so prideful. _She must really want Deidara to forgive her… If not then she wouldn't be doing this…_

"Tenten, what are you doing?" Sakura asked. No matter what had happened, Tenten was still her cousin. She couldn't bear to see the girl like this. She wanted to help her up from the floor but, when Sasuke gave a slight tug on her arm, she knew it wasn't her place to get involved despite familial ties.

"I know what I did was wrong!" Tenten continued. "But please know that I only had my child in mind! I had to do _something_! I couldn't let my baby grow up fatherless like I did! I wasn't even thinking about my mother or about what she thought! I've never regretted my decision, but I thought of her every day! I missed her so much that I miscarried! I lost my baby because I missed her so much…"

The word of miscarriage shot through the group as though a bolt of lightning had struck them.

"Tenten…" Sakura couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Though Tenten was her second cousin, she had also been Sakura's friend. Of course, the cherry blossom felt bad for her. It was only natural…

"Every time that I fought with my mother… All of those arguments wrecked me so much… I wanted to come back, I really wanted to… I wanted to apologize to her but, after the miscarriage, my health deteriorated… I couldn't make the trip home! I couldn't even leave my own _house_! I wanted to come back! I wanted to beg for her forgiveness! I hadn't fought with her like that in all of my life… I just couldn't understand _why_ she couldn't relate to me…" Tenten's tears streamed down her face in rivers. It was a miracle her voice had cracked up. "She raised me without a husband by her side. It was a struggle to just feed and clothe me! I didn't want to end up like that! I didn't want to end up like her! But I couldn't get her blessings! So . . ."—her tears continued to pour out as she recalled those memories— "I thought that, if couldn't get her on my side, I could at least raise my child with the man I loved! Can't you try to understand that, huh? Niichan, can't you?"

Deidara didn't answer—he couldn't even look at her. And he found no blame in himself for that. She would feel the same way if only she knew what had happened to her mother…

Sakura, seeing that Tenten's words couldn't get through to the blonde, decided to intervene then. "Please, Deidei-oppa… Just _look_ at her!" She found it strange that it was only this afternoon that she had been so hostile to the girl. "She's on her knees, _begging_! Obviously, she _knows_ she was wrong. Can't you please forgive—"

"Sakura, if she knew what happened to her mother then she'd know that I have no choice!"

The rosette shot him a cold glare, a profile that told him that he had just said the wrong thing. But it couldn't be helped. Tenten had overheard.

"What…?" She wiped away her tears, a fraction of her sadness replaced with confusion and shock. "What do you mean? What happened to my mom?"

No one answered her. Deidara groaned in frustration. He so did not want to deal with this right now.

"Eh . . . etto… _Anoo_ . . . Tenten, you know Deidara!" Naruto gave a wry chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. "He _always_ exaggerates things, remember? He—"

"What happened—to my _mom_?" Tenten asked—no, _demanded_.

Sakura and Karin bit their bottoms lips, exchanging nervous glances. What should they tell her? How could they break the news to her? Sakura glanced at Sasuke for help, but he too did not know what to say.

In the end, it was Deidara who spoke. "Tenten, it'd be better for you to believe she's dead, yea."

"_What_?" Tenten asked, a bit taken back by the boy's answer.

"The woman is her own _mother_!" Neji snapped. He had felt no obligation to step in before, but now he couldn't take Deidara's attitude anymore. "Why would—"

"It's precisely for that reason why it'd be best to believe that the woman is dead," Deidara retorted.

"Deidara-niichan, _please_…" Tenten's desperate tone returned to her voice. "Why can't you tell me, _huh_? She's my _mother_! I _have_ to know what happened to her!"

"Tenten, let's take this outside, okay?" Sakura suggested, trying to change the subject. "We'll disturb Ino this keeps—"

"_Yada_!" Tenten yelled, refusing to move from her spot. "I won't leave until I know what happened to my mom!"

"Tenten, _please_…" Sakura pleaded once more. She looked to the Hyuga for help.

Surprisingly, he complied with her unasked request. "Come on, Tenten," he said, trying to get her to stand up. "Maybe it's best if we—"

"_Yada_!" the girl cried again, shooting him a glare—she was still on her knees. "_You_ may hate her for causing my miscarriage, for causing my pain, but she's still my _mother_! I haven't seen her for _three years_! I have to know or I won't be able to live with myself!"

"Tenten, _please_…" Now Karin followed Sakura's example. "Now is _really_ not the time… Listen to us, okay? Just on this, _huh_?"

Tenten turned her gaze to Karin then to everyone else in the room—their eyes unable to meet hers. She gritted her teeth at the sight and stood up, stomping out of the room.

Neji sighed, shaking his head, before returning his attention back to the others. "Forgive us for causing a scene, but we are truly worried about Ino," he explained. "We didn't mean for this to get out of hand."

"Just . . . go, un…" Deidara said not even glancing at the Hyuga.

Knowing when he wasn't wanted, Neji bowed his head before leaving. "We hope Ino gets better quickly." He froze at the door. "Oh, and just one more thing…" He faced the group once more. "About Tenten's mother…"

"What Deidara said may not have been true, but it would better if she didn't know, Neji." Sakura answered. "With her miscarriage and her health, I doubt Tenten could take the news."

"Ah…" He nodded his head, realizing that he wouldn't get anywhere with this. And so, he closed the door behind him.

"Heh…" A sardonic smile flashed across Sakura's features, a small chuckle escaping her lips. " _'It'd be better for you to believe she's dead_,' huh?" she asked the minute she knew Neji was out of the room—her fury evident when she started hitting Deidara on the shoulder. "You and your big mouth! You and your great, big _mouth_…! How could you _say_ that? How could you be so _STUPID_?"

"Sakura…" Sasuke and Karin both held the girl back. Her punches really could hurt someone. They didn't need Ino's brother in the hospital too.

"_Dead_, huh?" Sakura asked again. "Do you really _think_ that would solve our problems? If we just _believe_ that her mother was dead? Heh… You must really think that, huh? To say that to Tenten with such a straight face, I don't know what's worse… Tenten's horror when you said that or that you're just running _away_ from the problem."

"I'm not running away!" Deidara yelled.

"Then what _is it_?" Sakura screamed back in uncomfortable decibels. "Believing someone is dead won't solve _anything_! Just what do you plan to do if Tenten decides to look into this? If she finds out that her mother…"

"Sakura-chan, let's worry about this some other day, okay?" Naruto proposed. He really did not like it when his friends were fighting. Plus, there was nothing he could do in this situation because he wasn't a part of their family. He felt so useless during these times. "We still have Ino to worry about right now. Let's put everything aside until she's better, _okay_?"

To his pleasure, the two cousins stopped arguing with each other. However, that left a cold tension in the room that seemed to thick to cut. Even Sasuke didn't dare to do much about it.

✿｡.:***The Next day***:.｡✿

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. After three years, some things were bound to change. But when Hinata fidgeted in her seat, fidgeted with her fingers, and her eyes kept shifting, Sakura realized that the Hyuga heiress probably hadn't changed all that much at all. However, the girl's antics just amused the rosette. At least, this meeting would go easier than thought.

"Anoo . . . Sakura-san, wh-what did you call me h-here for?"

Sakura couldn't tell if Hinata's stuttering was because of her anxiety or because of habit. Placing her cup back on the saucer, she just stated the obvious. "Our families will be meeting soon," she said.

"_Yes_…" Hinata said slowly. She wondered what Sakura was getting at.

"Regardless of what happens, a marriage between your father and my step-mother is inevitable," Sakura continued, her finger tracing the rim of her cup. "We'll be sisters soon. I'd like it if we'd reconciled before then."

Hinata almost dropped her glass of water. She had not expected that. Not from Sakura. Especially from how she had acted the other day. She had expected it to take much more time and so much from her part to get the Haruno to forgive her. She had not expected Sakura to just throw everything she did out the window as if it had been nothing.

"You're surprised. I figured you'd be."

"N-No, I just . . ." Hinata swallowed, taking a deep breath. "I haven't . . . I haven't apologized yet. I haven't done anything to . . . to receive this kindness, your forgiveness… I—"

"What's there for me to forgive?" Sakura asked, picking up her cup and taking a sip of tea. "The problem is between you and Naruto. Knowing you, you probably can't function already. You're probably thinking of ways to say sorry to him, and technically… Well,"—she shrugged—"No offense to you, but you're not exactly very bright when it comes to pleasing people while you're worrying about others too, and so I thought it'd be best if you didn't have any extra factors to worry about. Plus, we should _try_ and get along like we used to, for our parents' sakes."

Hinata had no comeback to that. "A-Arigato, Sakura-chan!" She didn't know what else to say. And if there hadn't been a table in between them, the Hyuga would have hugged the girl sitting across from her.

"Don't thank me just yet," Sakura said. "I can't help you with Naruto, though. That, you will have to do by yourself."

Hinata nodded. She'd rather it that way. She had wronged Naruto so… She needn't to make it up to him. With no one helping her.

"And about your engagement to Kiba…"

Hinata's eyes widened. "You . . . you know about th-that?"

A nod. "What will you do? Do you want to be the one to tell Naruto?"

"I . . . I don't know." And indeed, she did not. She didn't want to break Naruto's heart. No, not again. But she had no choice. If he heard it from someone else then it would have worsen the situation. No, she had to tell him herself.

* * *

**Etto = err; um**  
**Niichan = older brother**

**Eh… Boring chapter…**


	10. Author's Note: Sorry

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

**Hi, Peoples...**

**Okay, I know I promised myself that I wouldn't do this after _Dragon Lady_, but I had to. This story is really_ lousy_! I can't believe I never ended this or even deleted it! I'm sorry you all had to sit through this and actually read it!**

**Here's what I'm going to do: I'm leaving this story here, but I'm going to make a "sequel" to this. It's going to be in the same format as my _Top Girl_ story, so there will be more updates to it. I don't know when I'll have that out, hopefully soon.**

**Truly sorry,**

**Mistressinwaiting**

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°


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